


When Magic Gets Real

by MistakenAngel



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Breaking the Fourth Wall, F/M, Falling In Love, Friendship/Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 17:41:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 32
Words: 51,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28729041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistakenAngel/pseuds/MistakenAngel
Summary: Emma Watson, International superstar, and famous for playing Hermione Granger for half of her life, has just wrapped up filming The Deathly Hallows Part Two. She has always felt a long standing crush on her co star Alan Rickman, but when he died, she was secretly devastated. She goes to the new Harry Potter theme park in Florida, and when she does, she unknowingly opens a doorway to the wizarding world, and all of her knowledge of this world, and her character is put to the ultimate test when she is thrown into her work like never before...
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger & Severus Snape, Hermione Granger/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Scabior, Luna Lovegood/Draco Malfoy
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

One: The Premiere

Emma

The crowds were horrendous, and the paparazzi even more so as me, Daniel, and Rupert walked hand in hand down the red carpet. Tom Felton was already here with his girlfriend Tanya, and making witty quips to the reporters. But I almost could not process being here in Hollywood, and enjoying the Californian warmth of the early evening.

Alan was gone, and it was only knowing that he was gone, and buried that I realized that I had more than a girlish crush on him. The funeral had been a month prior to the movie premiere of the second part of The Deathly Hallows. I was still so sad, and my boyfriend Billy had broken up with me over my 'obsession.' Whatever, I was better off without him, to be honest, he was kind of a prick to break up with me over email, because I was grieving over a beloved co-star who meant the world to me.

The limo pulled up to the curb, and already paparazzi and fans were screaming either my name, or calling me Hermione. I signed my autographs and took selfies with fans. But inside, I felt like I was on autopilot, honestly.

Daniel greeted me, and he pulled me aside, "Hey Ems. How have you been since...you know?"

I shook my head. "Not good, but I don't think Alan would want us to mope and cry over him, especially with the premiere going on."

Daniel nodded, "Yeah, I know."

Tom found us, and Tanya greeted us in her usual flippant kind of way. What Tom saw in her, I had no clue, but that's love, I guess, take it or leave it.

Tom gave me a hug, and Tanya scowled. He frowned at her. "Ignore her, Ems. Do you want to sit with me?"

I blushed at that, wondering why I felt a flicker of my old crush for him coming back. Was it my grief and the need to be comforted? I had no clue, only that I really liked being in Tom Felton's company right at this moment in time.

We all entered the Chinese Theater, and Tom sat beside me, while Daniel sat on my other side. Rupert sat with his own girlfriend Debra, a very pretty ginger haired lady like him. The movie came up on the screen, and it felt surreal seeing me and everyone we worked with on the screen. But seeing Severus's death scene really brought genuine tears to my eyes.

I felt my heart constrict inside me to the point of it being painful. All of us were crying, and when the movie ended, people clapped.

"Excuse me, I...I need to go to the loo," I excused myself.

"Oh? I'll go with you," Tanya offered. "For you know, girl talk and stuff."

"Tanya, just butt out of it," Tom confronted her. "Okay?"

She sulked, "Fine. But Tommy, baby, you promised you wouldn't like talk to her while we were here."

"I didn't say anything of the sort!" Tom snapped. "Whatever. I don't need this shit right now. Emma is my friend, alright? Now, I'm going to talk to her. That's it, just talk."

She tossed her brown hair in that stupid, prissy way of hers. "Fine! But we're done. I knew I couldn't compete with her anyway."

She stalked off, and Rupert rolled his eyes. "Wow, mate. She is such a head case. Do you want us to come with you?"

"No, I'm good," Tom said, going up to me. "I'll catch up with you guys later for one of the award parties."

Tom found me washing off my makeup in the bathroom. I saw him and he wordlessly hugged me. "Hey, hey, I miss him too," He murmured against my hair. "Dan and Rup were really worried about you back there."

I wiped at my eyes, and nodded, "I just...I don't know if I can go to any parties, Tom. I mean, they'll have posters of all of us in character everywhere, and especially of Alan as Severus Snape. I don't think I can look at pictures of him like that."

He understood. "Okay. Do you want me to take you back to the hotel? I kind of said I would join the others for the award parties."

I looked into his big blue eyes, and felt a little bit better. "Yeah, I think I need your company now. Just...not all night, I have to go to that theme park Diagon Alley thing in the morning, and I heard Florida is humid as hell this time of year."

Tom chuckled, "Ems, Florida is a hot box over half the year."

"Oh hush, you know what I mean by that," I chided him.

"Yeah, I do. Come on, let's go."

We left out the front door, and of course, the paparazzi tried to cover us as a damn couple as Tom Felton led me to one of the waiting black limousines. He gave the directions to the driver, but we stopped for coffee briefly, and as we got to my hotel room, some weird tension fell between us, and before either of us knew what was up, we ended up having hot sex most of the night...

🐍💚🐍

Three Hours Later....

"Thank you, Tom," I said sleepily, watching him change back into his tuxedo. "I didn't plan on this, but--"

He pressed a kiss to my lips as I laid in bed. "Me neither, believe me. But I've always kind of liked you, Emma. I mean that," He admitted. "Look, we don't have to decide on anything now, but I just want to say that I _like_ you."

My heart warmed to hear those words, but I just did not want to hear them now, my grief was too fresh. "I like you too, Tom, but I just...I can't decide on anything now," I confessed.

"I know. I'll call you."  
"Thanks for understanding."  
"Yeah, you bet."

He left me then, and I curled up into a ball and cried myself to sleep. Sure, the comfort sex helped, but the ache in my heart was still very much there deep down inside of me. I didn't know if anything would ever make this deep seated pain go away, save for going back in time and giving my secret crush some miracle cure for his cancer. But that was before something remarkable happened that brought me into a world I never thought existed, and made me realize that magic was indeed, very, very real....


	2. The Portal

Emma

Three connecting flights later, and two layovers, and I finally landed in Orlando, Florida. Of course, the media circus was there catching every damn moment as I walked through the terminal to customs, and collected my luggage. Thankfully, I decided to wear a breezy light blue sun dress, and beige sandals. I had my hair up in a French braid, and sunglasses on my face.

I felt better, but not by much. I texted Daniel and Rupert, and even texted Maggie a bit. Sure, she was Professor McGonagall for years to me, but in private she became Grandma Maggie to me. Well, to all of us, really. Losing Richard Harris as Dumbledore was a bit hard, and that genuinely bummed everyone out, but God, losing Alan Rickman tore everyone's heart out of their chest. Poor Emma Thompson had loved him for years, and even though they were on and off over the years, they always had a nice, abiding affection for one another over the years.

She was damned near inconsolable at the funeral, and I was just too numb to cry at the time. But oh boy, did the waterworks come in private, and they never really stopped.

The limo pulled up to Universal Studios, and I was given the VIP treatment, which was nice sometimes, but annoying at other times; this was one of those rare enjoyable times. I was given a nice, rare grand tour, and went to both parks. They 'gave,' me my wand, and I took pictures, and did my required press conference nonsense before I jumped on the new Hogwarts Express train.

But as I rode the train, something felt odd. I felt like something had happened, and when I looked out the window, I realized that I was no longer looking out at false theme park scenery, but a real English countryside, and a picturesque village appeared.

I waved my wand, and passed it over my sun dress. My outfit changed into a Hogwarts Gryffindor uniform! What. The. Hell??

I had a purple beaded purse beside me, and I picked it up, and ran to the closest bathroom. My face and body was the same, even my hair, but the only problem was that....I was in the wizarding world. The trolley witch came by, and asked, "Anything from the trolley, dear?"

"Um...a box of Every Flavor Beans," I ordered, and gave her two knuts out of my purse.

She was about to leave when I asked, "Excuse me, but what year is it?"

The old witch looked at me like I had gone a bit daft, but she covered it up with a smile, and said, "Why, September 1, 1997, dear."

"Thank you."  
"Of course, dear."

I took the box of jelly beans, and knew this was Hermione Granger's seventh year, or would be, if she attended Hogwarts when Severus Snape was Headmaster. But if I was here, was Harry Potter and Ron Weasely still on the run from deatheaters, and the Ministry of Magic? They had to be, right?

I found the Slytherin compartment at the back of the train, and poked my head in. Nope, nope, I soo did not want to think that the real Draco Malfoy was sitting in the train holding court with his friends. I quickly left, and saw Neville Longbottom talking with his friends.

"Hey, Mione,' " He greeted. "Will you join us? I thought you were doing secret stuff with Harry and Ron."

 _Yep, act cool, Emma,_ I chastised myself. _Don't you dare let Evanna, or Matt know you're an imposter._

"Oh, I was," I stammered. "But I didn't want to miss out on my last year. I mean, that's why you guys are here, right?"

Evanna nodded, "Yes, but it won't be the same without Dumbledore."

"Amen to that."  
"Huh?" Matt asked.

"Oh, sorry, Ma--Neville," I stumbled over his name. "It's a muggle expression. I was agreeing with you guys."

The talk turned to other topics, and after being searched by deatheaters for Harry Potter's whereabouts, Neville announced that he wasn't on the train. They quickly left frustrated, and the village of Hogsmeade seemed so real as I waited for one of the thestral drawn carriages.

I had to get on with other Gryffindors, and soon learned that each school House was severely segregated out into each group. Hagrid was forced to march everyone up to the huge, forbidding castle that was Hogwarts. Everything looked so damn real.

I pinched myself, and kept walking with the Gryffindor group. But when we all filed to the Great Hall, and I saw Severus Snape, the real wizard, in the flesh, that was when I realized that this was not a dream, and that this was very damn real...

🐍💚🐍

Severus

The dour Potions Master turned Headmaster looked upon all of the students with dread. He didn't want to be on babysitter duty for the despot any more than he wanted to spy for either side.

His attention was drawn to Miss Granger, and despite his best efforts, he found his eyes picking her out of the crowd. _Stop staring at her, you horny old libertine! She's what...seventeen at most? Way too young for the likes of you, even if she was interested in your ugly old mug._ He forced himself to turn his attention away from Hermione Granger, and concentrate on the business at hand.

The sorting hat was brought out, and McGonagall called out the names. Each student was sorted into each school House, but no one clapped as each student joined each table.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts," He announced. "I trust that I do not need to wax eloquent about the ban on joke products, and certain areas of the school grounds. All of you, I trust, know how to read your rule books. However, strict accordance with the rules as outlined in your rule books will be executed accordingly. Now, that being said, there are two changes of staff this year: namely the post of Defense Against The Dark Arts will be taught by Professors Alecto and Amycus Carrow. Now, you may partake of your feast."

The welcome feast appeared before all of them, and the food was too rich for his taste, but he ate, and his eyes kept drifting to the Gryffindor table where Miss Granger looked like she was out of place somehow, and he determined that he would unravel the mysteries she presented, because after all, what else did he have to divert his time in his many duties as spy and Headmaster of a school he never wanted to teach at to begin with? No, he would unravel this mystery, and do it soon, before all hell broke loose for them all...


	3. Weird D.A.D.A. Class

Emma

I had no clue how I was able to do freaking magic, and get through these classes, but somehow I did. My idiotic encyclopedic knowledge of the Harry Potter books really helped me out, and I knew that by the seventh book, Hermione was not supposed to be here. But yet, here I was finishing out her seventh year in her place. Why? How? I had absolutely no clue, honestly.

Also, I knew my way around the castle like it was the back of my hand, and yet I had never been here before, save on a movie set with tons of camera people, and producers around. But as I made my way to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, I was filled with a powerful sense of dejavu, except the teachers were these two ugly fraternal twins named Alecto and Amycus.

"Today class, we will be demonstrating unforgivable curses on first years," Alecto said, her voice strident and shrill. "Now, which Gryffindor would like to go first?"

Her beady black eyes fell on me, and she grinned a manic grin. "How about you, Miss Granger? Let's start with an easy one, the Imperius Curse?"

I smirked at her, "Or, how about a better plan: how about I shove a gun in your face, and empty the clip until that eyesore you call a face miraculously becomes beautiful?"

"You _dare_ talk to my sister like that??" Amycus growled, marching over to me, and grabbing me around the throat. "Golden Trio bitch or not, I'm gonna choke the life outta you!"

My self defense training took over and I sank in my knees, and twisted out of his grip, and kicked him square in the balls. He screamed in agony as he let go of me, and clutched at his private parts.

Alecto cast the Cruciatus Curse on me for three hours before she sent me, bleeding, to the Headmaster office. Alan/Severus looked me over, and I vaguely heard him threaten the ugly witch if he tortured one of his students again.

Alecto giggled, "Careful Snape. You wouldn't want the Dark Lord to catch wind of you not being able to control these brats. This bitch used some kind of muggle self defense on my brother! I want her punished now!"

"I will deal with her myself, now go. Now," He ordered.

She stalked off, and I blacked out before he picked me up in his arms, and I woke up in the Headmaster's office on a soft bed...

🐍💚🐍

Severus

He studied Miss Granger as he healed her wounds, but he had no choice but to strip her of her Gryffindor uniform down to her bra and knickers. She had no child's body on her, that was for certain. She wore a simple navel ring in her rather taut, toned navel, and she had thin little scars from her life. But beyond the blood, and wounds he closed up from the Cruciatus, she was...she was exquisitely beautiful.

He looked through her purse, and found a British driver's license, and a folded up funeral program from someone she knew.

Emma Watson, a current London address in a very fancy part of the city. But what made him recoil in horror was the picture of the deceased. It was...gods, it was him! Granted, the man in the picture was much older than him, but he could pass for his older twin brother...or his father, almost. 1940-2008*, Always, the program stated. (A.N. :I'm aware that he died later in 2016, but for the story, it's earlier).

What the hell did that word. mean? Twenty years older than him, and this slip of a girl had a funeral program for this man she knew and cared about. No, she was 19, so an adult in every sense, but who was she? Other items in her purse were of no consequence: text books for Hogwarts, study assignments, a flat case of pills, which he knew were muggle birth control pills. A strange flat glass device in a sort of black rubber case to prevent damage to the screen presumably. A package of condoms, and one broken off on the end of its perforated casing.

 _Did you honestly expect her to be a virgin?_ He asked himself. _Most young women are not, even in the wizarding world by this age. You sure as hell weren't. Yes, but she seems too pure for that. Why, I don't know._

He put her into his bed, and rolled up the covers to her chin like a child. Her wavy shoulder blade length brown hair made a halo around her head as she slept in a semblance of peace caused by him stupefying her earlier. He carefully put these items he took out of her purse that was enchanted with the Undetectable Extension Charm, and even placed her vine wrapped wand in with her personal effects.

He took one last look at this doppelganger of Hermione Granger, and decided to turn to Minerva McGonagall, Gryffindor's Head of House. He didn't care that he should have taken her to Poppy, and not his own office, but if he didn't appear to have been desirous of torturing her personally, the Carrow twins would have sniffed out his deception.

Due to the lateness of the hour, the older witch was in her personal quarters, but she opened the front door most reluctantly. She was in her white cotton nightgown, and had thrown a green robe on over that.

"Severus, you had better have a damned good explanation for waking me up at this hour!" Minerva almost shrieked.

He sighed, "Oh believe me, I do. I need you to come look in on Miss Granger, and I need you to do it now. She is one of your charges, after all."

She must have seen his expression, because her face smoothed over to one of concern, and she nodded. "Of course, lead the way to the hospital wing."

"I...I couldn't take her to Poppy," Severus said, looking a bit sheepish. "She would ask too many questions, and you know how much the Dark Lord has tied my hands in terms of running this school. Besides, if it didn't appear that I wished to torture Miss Granger in my office, the Carrow twins would go straight to the Dark Lord to inform him of my 'conflicted loyalties.' "

McGonagall understood, and said, "I understand. I'm sorry for treating you as one of these...these fiends, Severus."

They stopped in front of the new dragon statue. "Lily rose," He spoke the password. The dragon statue moved out of the way, and the steps ascended like an escalator in a shopping mall, or airport.

Severus put a finger to his lips, and McGonagall nodded. They looked in on his sleeping guest, and he took out the funeral program. They left the bedroom, and went downstairs to the main office.

"Tell me what you make of this."

McGonagall looked shocked at the picture. "Alan Rickman, famous British theater actor turned movie star, director, producer. There are a lot of muggle films listed here, but then...oh my goodness! Seven Harry Potter movies, Severus. Seven! This man was in _all_ of them as...Merlin's beard! _You_."

A photograph slid out of the program, and they both looked at it together. An older woman who looked like McGonagall, the deceased, the girl sleeping in the bedroom upstairs, Potter, Weasely, and several others in this group photograph. He read the names of the actors, and found that he couldn't stop shaking.

What the hell was going on?? The muggles had movies of them, and he couldn't stop shaking, or pacing a hole in the floorboards. He couldn't make heads or tails of this situation at all.

"How can you be dead in their world, but alive here?" McGonagall asked. "The cause of death for this muggle actor was pancreatic cancer, not a pleasant way to go. But if she worked with all of these people, why keep the program?"

"I think that's my business, don't you think, Alan?" The girl asked. She had on one of his bathrobes, and her brown eyes were narrowed in annoyance. "Sorry, Severus. I swear you could pass for his younger brother or something."

Severus cleared his throat. "I merely wished to know who was passing for one of the students of Hogwarts."

She came down the stairs, and she looked at them both with interest. "It's not by choice, I assure you. Do you have any coffee, or something? I have a feeling we will be talking a long time."

McGonagall nodded. "I can summon a house elf to get it. I will just...leave you two here to talk."

When McGonagall was gone, Emma sat in one of the guest chairs, and crossed her legs. He sat behind his desk, and said, "I think the big question is is who are you? And how did you come to be in the wizarding world?"

She nodded, "Yes, I think that's smart. Well, the simple answer to your first question is this: my name is Emma Watson..."


	4. Ron Leaves The Camp

Emma

The coffee arrived, and I was a bit mystified seeing an actual house elf prepare our coffee.

"Um, thank you," I said to the house elf. "I like a bit of creamer and sugar in that."

"Will Miss be wanting hazelnut or cocoa in the shape of a heart?" The house elf asked in a feminine squeak.

"Cocoa works for me, thanks."

"Yes, Miss. Winky will do as she says," Winky said happily. Winky prepared the coffee into a perfect latte, and left Severus's coffee black with a small sugar cube in it. Winky disapparated, and I sipped my latte.

"Wow, she should work for Barnies, this is awesome," I commented.

Severus sipped his coffee delicately, and put it in its tea dish, setting it aside on his desk.

"You are aware that there is a witch who looks just like you?" He asked, his black eyes boring into mine.

"So, there is a Hermione Granger," I mused. "It still doesn't explain how I arrived on the Hogwarts Express when Hermione, Ron, and Harry are on the run hunting for Voldemort's horcruxes."

Severus rose an eyebrow. "You are deflecting the question...Emma. Who are you, precisely, and how did you come to arrive on the train to Hogwarts for Miss Granger's seventh year?"

"My name is Emma Watson. I was born in Paris, France, but work brought my parents to London," I explained. "I danced ballet in grade school, got excellent grades in school. But I had a love for acting very early on. My first real movie role was in The Sorcerer's Stone, the first Harry Potter film. Daniel and Rupert played Harry and Ron. We became instant friends, but I had this short lived crush on Tom, who played Draco. Why? I don't know, I was eleven at the time. But when I met Alan, and he played well...you, I was dazzled by his talent, his ability to either cut you with his voice, or soothe you. Later, it grew to a crush not even Daniel and Rupert know about, really. He was charming and handsome in a very unconventional way, and as a teenager it thrilled me as time went on."

Severus kept his stoic expression, but he was far from bored. No, I had his full, and undivided attention. "I see. And are you only known for playing an incessant know it all witch?"

"No, I have played Japphets wife in Noah. I played Belle in Beauty and the Beast, and I serve as a chairwoman for the women's United Nations committee," I informed him. "A new theme park was opening in Florida, in the States, and I was covering the press on that. Diagon Alley it was, and while it was touristy, and fun, I was impressed by how involved the design of the park was."

"Which brings you to the train incident," Severus mused.

"Yes. There is a Hogwarts Express that transports you between the two Universal Studios parks to where visitors to the parks can travel to Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley," I continued. "Well, naturally, I went on the train ride. But instead of taking me to the other theme park, it brought me to the real Hogsmeade village. I felt a sort of...vibration as I came closer to the village like--"

"A ward or a portal had been breached," Severus said, finishing his coffee.

My eyes went wide. "Yes, exactly. But...But it makes no sense! I mean, if I'm here, and Hermione is out there somewhere doing this foolhardy mission for Dumbledore--"

"I would not call trying to defeat Tom Riddle foolhardy!" Dumbledore's portrait spoke up, his tone haughty. "Did it ever occur to you, Miss Watson that you were brought here for a reason? Perhaps to prevent certain things from coming to pass?"

I rose, and put my hands on my hips. "Oh really? Well...Albus. Let me tell you something about what happens after this war: yes, the so called lightside wins, but at the cost of harsher sentences against your law abiding citizens. Yes, a Hufflepuff becomes Minister of Magic after Rufeus Scrimgeor is killed in a raid by deatheaters. But Kingsley Shacklebolt sends the aurors on a sort of crusade to hunt down Voldemort's last followers, and enforces harsh laws on the populace. The Golden Trio is sort of deified, especially Harry Potter.

"How many witches and wizards have to die to serve your Greater Good? Fred Weasely? Nymphadora Tonks? Lavender Brown? Severus Snape? Let their blood wash over you and be on your hands, Albus Dumbledore. Now, go away, and let Severus and me speak."

Dumbledore left, and Phineas Black clapped from his portrait. "I like this girl," He chuckled. "You should keep her around, she has some Slytherin pragmatism about her."

"Thanks, Headmaster Black," I said. Black left his portrait, and Severus eyed me with renewed interest.

"How do I die?"

"By a slice to the throat, and Voldemort's pet anaconda finishes the job by ripping your throat open," I said, my voice shaking a bit as I told him. "It...it was to gain more control over the Elder Wand, but it really belonged to Draco Malfoy, because he disarmed Dumbledore the night you euthanized him in the astronomy tower."

Severus looked grave then, and asked, "Would you consent to legilimency for me to see it myself? I feel like I must know."

"Are you sure?" I tried to dissuade him. "It's...it's very violent, and I wouldn't want to know how I died."

He nodded his head. "I need to know. Please."

"Alright."

He came around the desk, and I set my coffee cup aside on the desk. He sat next to me, and took out his sleek black wand. He pointed it to my forehead, and cast, "Legilimens."

I felt his psychic barbs go into my brain, but I stared into his eyes as he looked over my life, my friendships over the years, who I dated, all of what I knew about the wizarding world, and about him and his murder at Voldemort's hands. When he scanned everything thoroughly enough, a tear fell from his eye, and I reached over to hold his hand, but he wrenched it away from me as he ended the spell.

He paced about the office, his steps a bit heavy as he digested all that he saw in my mind. He leaned against his desk, and breathed heavily. I wanted to touch him, to offer some kind of comfort, but I knew he wouldn't accept it, he was too proud.

After a long time, he drew in a few shaky breaths, and let it out. "I'm sorry," He apologized. "I don't know how to get you back to your time, and world but...I think you could help here. I certainly am not desirous of the death I saw."

"Nor would I be in your shoes."

He looked at me, and said, "You can clearly do magic, so continue in that role. But it is clear that Potter and his friends are a threat to the Dark Lord."

"I don't think either side should win," I clarified. "Clearly, Riddle needs to die. But you know the theory about cutting the head off of a snake? The rest--"

"Will fall," He finished for me, a faint smile flashing across his face. "Yes, I am familiar with the term. You are neutral."

"I am."  
"So am I."  
"What can I do?"

He grinned. "Well, you can be my eyes and ears. You look like a passable seventh year, but you are clearly no teenager. Do you think you can be a good actress, Emma?"

I grinned. "Like you?"

He grinned back, and he nodded. "Indeed. I want to prevent my death, and I want the Dark Lord to fall. So, it appears we need one another."

"And I am your spy?"  
"Yes. Will you do it?"

I went to him, and we stared into each other's eyes. He lifted my chin to meet his eyes. He was inches from me, enough to smell his sandalwood, peppermint, earthy scent that smelled damned good to me.

"Yes. Anything, so long as I can call you my true confidante here," I proposed. "Maybe something more later...unless you wish to remain hung up on a dead witch who never loved you."

He scowled down at me. "Careful. I enjoy you, but be careful where you tread into such dark waters with me."

I touched his smooth cheek, "Likewise. But I am not some prudish teen girl who leads boys on for her own ends. Just keep that in mind."

I went to the bedroom, and found my school uniform cleaned and folded. I put it on, and asked, "Where am I sleeping tonight?"

Severus scowled, clearly not having thought that far ahead. "I hope you don't snore."

I laughed. "My exes haven't reported that I ever have if it's an consolation to you."

"It's not. I don't fancy sharing my bed with anyone," He almost pouted, which I found very cute for some reason. "But until more suitable sleeping arrangements can be assigned to you, this will have to do..."

💚🐍💚

We went upstairs and looked over the large King sized bed, and we took turns in the bathroom getting ready for bed. I found a gray t-shirt of his to sleep in, and undressed to my knickers. He wore black pajama pants, which hung to his hips, and a dark gray tank top. He stared at me, and I realized that I was bustier without a bra on.

I blushed, and he looked away from me. "Forgive me for staring," He apologized.

"It's alright."  
"It is?"  
"Sure. Good night, Severus."  
"Good night..Emma."

The way he said 'Emma,' made my insides turn to mush. Hot damn, he had a sexy voice. Was he even aware that he was an attractive man? The answer was not likely. I got under the covers, and he turned off the lights, as he got in on the other side. We slept back to back almost, and it was an uncomfortable first night, but over time, it got better as we developed a sort of secret friendship that I could swear had hints of more when he looked at me sometimes, or how he said my name like he was caressing it somehow. Either way, there was something there, but only time would bring it to light, of that I had no doubt whatsoever; it was only a matter of time....


	5. Ron Leaves The Camp

Hermione

She just couldn't believe Ron! Sure, he had been wearing the horcrux locket the longest, but she had a feeling that this jealousy over Harry and her had been brewing for quite a long time, and only now it was being brought into the light.

"Ron...come on it's not like that!" Harry defended. "Gods, Ron, Mione,' and I are friends. That's it, _friends_!"

Ron glared at them both. He took off the locket and threw it on the ground. "Fine! You know what, Harry? I don't care. Are you coming, Mione?' I'm only going to ask this once."

For some reason, she felt the need to stand beside Harry, and hold his hand. Harry held her hand comfortingly, not lacing his fingers through hers, but not touching her like a boyfriend would either.

"Ron...I can't," Hermione pleaded. "We have to find these horcruxes, the whole war hinges on whether or not we can find them and destroy them."

Ron's blue eyes narrowed as he took them in holding hands. "Whatever. You're choosing him, that's all I see. You can spout whatever excuse you like, Hermione, but you like him, and you always have. Congrats, Harry. I hope you're happy, she's a real handful."

Ron grabbed his backpack filled with his camping supplies, and left the tent flap, and walked into the forest without a backward glance. Hermione flung herself into Harry's arms, sobbing. He held her, and when they broke apart she saw that he was crying as well.

They didn't talk for a week, but when they moved camp, and it was her turn to wear the horcrux locket, Harry turned on the radio to a nice, slow dance song.

"Dance with me," Harry said.  
"Um, okay?"  
"Just trust me."

Hermione stood up, and he pulled her into his arms after he took the locket from her. They began to dance, and some odd romantic tension fell between them as they looked into each other's eyes.

"Mione,' " Harry whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion. "I...We don't have to..."

Hermione's heart raced. She had always wondered what it would be like to kiss Harry, and see if she actually felt anything for him beyond friendship. She touched his cheek, and he was staring intently into her eyes. She rose up on her toes and pressed her lips to his.

The kiss was featherlight, but it felt...well, amazing. Harry looked awestruck, but then he cupped the back of her head, and he kissed her, his tongue teasing the corner of her mouth, begging for entrance.

"Hermione, please," He begged, rasping against her lips. "Let me in."

She did, and the touch of his tongue on hers as their lips slid over one another sealed the deal for her. She was kissing her best friend! Like a boyfriend, like...someone she loved, and always had, deep down inside.

She ran her fingers through his short black hair, and moaned against his mouth. They stopped dancing, and she felt Harry cup her breast with one hand as he cupped her cheek with the other.

"I...I'm sorry," Harry apologized, when he realized that he was feeling her up. "I should have asked first."

Hermione pulled him back to her, and shook her head. "No, it's okay, Harry. Really, it is. I just...I've just always wondered what it would be like to kiss you."

He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Me too," He confessed. "But, what about Ron? He likes...liked you as more than a friend for years."

Hermione sighed, pulling away from him to turn off the radio. She sat on her cot, and he sat beside her. He took her hand in his, and kissed it softly.

"I thought I liked him that way too," She confessed, "But just now...it felt--"

"Right," Harry finished for her.  
"Yeah. Exactly."

Harry smiled. "We don't have to do anything tonight, we can work up to the physical stuff, but I guess I've just always kind of had a crush on you. But I didn't want to chance it, because Ginny liked me in that way, and Cho was cute too."

Hermione laughed nervously, "Yeah. But she's always kind of liked Cedric Diggory. I guess she was just trying to get over him when she tried to date you."

Harry nodded. "Yeah. But that just leaves us, Mione.' Where does that leave us? What do you want to do? Forget about the kiss, or make a go of this?"

Hermione looked into his green eyes, eyes that had always enchanted her. "I...I want to try to make a go of this, but I'm just afraid of ruining our friendship. We've been friends for years. You don't think it will ruin things between us if we become involved with each other?"

Harry thought it over, but then he cupped her face with his hands. "No, I don't. I think it will strengthen our bond. Please Hermione, I've liked you for so long. Can we not try to be together?"

She nodded, "Yes, Harry. I want to try too. Will you kiss me?"

"Yes, ma'am."

He pressed his lips to hers, and they shared a beautiful, heartfelt kiss. She scooted on to his lap, so that she was straddling him. His hands moved down her waist, and cupped her bottom as their lips moved over one another as he drew her deeper into the kiss, their tongues darting in and out of their mouths as they kissed deeply, deeper than she had ever been kissed before.

She instinctively ground her pelvis into his, and felt him go hard for her. Harry moaned, "Gods, Mione.' We...we should stop before um...before we do something we're both not ready for yet."

Hermione blushed, "Oh! Right, um, sorry, Harry."

She got off of his lap, and they both blushed. "Soo, I'll just...um, get ready for bed now, I guess," He spoke up.

"Yeah. Take your time."

Harry went outside, and she knew he was going to go outside to wank off. She got ready for bed, and got out her vine wrapped wand. She used her wand to clean up her half of the tent using cleaning spells. When that was done, she was about to go outside when Harry came back inside.

"The lake is all yours," Harry said, wiping at his damp hair with a towel he just summoned.

"Thanks."

She got her bath supplies, and cast warming spells on the lake to warm it up. She stripped, and took a relaxing bath. When she was done, and she was dry again, and dressed in her pajamas, she found Harry reading in bed.

She put her bath supplies away, and made sure her maxi pad was in place, because she was on the tail end of her period. She crawled underneath the covers of her sleeping bag. She turned off her light by her bed. Harry soon finished what he was reading, and turned off his light.

"Mione,' " Harry whispered.  
"Mmhm."  
"I love you."

She turned around in her cot, and said, "I love you too, Harry."

"Good night."  
"Good night."

They soon slept, but it took Hermione a long time to fall asleep fully. They had to keep moving, because there was a new evil group of Ministry employed people after them, and they were called snatchers. But meanwhile, things at Hogwarts moved apace for Hermione Granger's doppleganger, and a certain dour Potions Master turned Headmaster of Hogwarts....


	6. Head Girl

Emma

The red and gold Head Girl pin sat in its small box, and I didn't want to pick it up, because I superstitiously thought that if I did, that it would disappear on me. It had been a month since my first interview with Severus, and we had been sharing a bed since that time. We were always professional with each other, but there was always that undercurrent of sexual tension between us that neither of us wanted to acknowledge or talk about.

"You're really making me Head Girl?" I asked him over dinner in his office. "I have been spying on the students just fine without having the authority of handing out detentions, or patrolling the halls after hours."

Severus sipped his merlot, and set his glass aside. He made his fingers a steeple, and flashed me a ghost of a smile, "I'm not doing this to get rid of you, Emma, so you can relax on that account. You are quite capable of handling the responsibility the job entails. I dare say that the teachers find it strange that one of the students is as physically active as you."

I laughed, "Well, you don't exactly run an adequate Gold's Gym, or Ballys here. I'm used to going on a morning run, and doing my weight training days, and yoga sessions. The food the house elves serve are loaded with enough calories to turn any of these kids into instant diabetics. So, if I'm seen going on a run, I would not call that a mere muggle thing, but as someone who cares about their health."

Severus nodded. "Indeed. A pity I cannot join you for these runs."

I winked. "Oh? And what exactly do you do besides boring administrative office work? Please tell me it's not acting like Doctor Frankenstein in the dungeons."

To my surprise, Severus laughed, "Hardly. Although, I'm certain the students would not be overly surprised if I were attempting to bring cadavers back to life in the Potions lab."

I sliced up my filet mignon, and savored the rich, tender meat. "No, you just order five star dinners to impress Hollywood actresses," I quipped. "Although, I will be most pissed off at you if you're trying to wine and dine bitches like Kristen Stewart."

Severus ate thoughtfully before swallowing and washing it down with his wine. "No, I would not wish to compete with the fairer sex for her attention. I have no such ambitions, merely to have dinner with a dear friend."

"Mmhm, so said an ex of mine once," I pointed out. "God, he was an idiot, but he made it up for it with his prowess. I dumped him within the end of the week, due to his clinginess. I'm surprised at your knowledge of Hollywood, I had thought the wizarding world lived in a vacuum."

Severus shrugged his shoulders. "I make it my business as a Slytherin to know of more things than the wizarding world. Especially when I am hosting such a modern thinking witch within Hogwarts."

"I wasn't one before coming here through the portal," I pointed out. "But I quite enjoy the fact that magic is real. But, moment of truth, am I ever going to see your Dark Mark?"

Severus looked a bit uncomfortable. "I...I don't feel quite comfortable showing it off. Why do you want to see it?"

I drained my wine, and sighed, "Because I don't care that you have ink on you. I'm not a fan of tattoos myself, but I have friends that are inked up, some way more than they should be. My navel ring was enough for me."

"I have a lot of bad memories associated with it," Severus admitted. "People in the wizarding world know it as a dark symbol, and judge you accordingly."

"So what? I have three ear piercings in each ear, and one in my navel. Big deal," I encouraged. "The navel I did on a stupid dare when I was fourteen, and we had my friend's older sister sign the consent form so me and my friend Jan could get ours done while we were still minors. Jan cried like a baby, but I almost passed out, even though the piercer guy was very cute. It hurt, but I like how it looks now.

"Just call it a demonstration of trust by showing it to me, Severus. I know your history, and I haven't run screaming from the room, have I?" I finished.

Severus smiled, and he unbuttoned his left sleeve, and rolled up first his black frock coat sleeve, then his under white dress shirt up to his elbow. There, on his inner forearm, in black inks, was the skull and snake tattoo, the famous mark of being an official member of the deatheaters.

I traced my fingers along the design, and I felt the undercurrent of dark magic there, but the design was oddly beautiful in a dark way. I leaned over and kissed it tenderly.

"What are you doing?"

"Showing my acceptance of you," I said sincerely. "It's kind of beautiful in a dark sort of way, actually. Does it hurt you now?"

"Only when I am summoned. But the inks faded to a dull red when the Dark Lord was dead," Severus informed me. "It looks black now, because he is in power, and has a body currently. Your behavior surprises me, most witches flinch when they see it."

I winked at him. "I told you I wasn't going to judge you. I still don't after seeing it."

He buttoned his sleeve back up, and handed me my Head Girl badge. "Nor do I you. Will you accept it?"

"Of course," I said, pinning it to my school cloak. "But I still want to know why you are giving this to me. You could pick anyone."

He reached across the table and held my hand. I laced my fingers through his. "True, I could. But I call this a demonstration of trust. After all, I wouldn't want the teachers to get the wrong idea that I wish to exploit a student."

"Ah," I smirked. "Well, God forbid you do that, I suppose. And here I was liking the idea of having a guy in bed with me. Thankfully, the bed is big enough for us both to sprawl. I didn't expect you to be a sprawler."

"And you were expecting a coffin, perhaps?" He teased. "Or that I hunt nocturnally?"

I giggled, "You would be sexy with fangs, I think. No, it's just that I will miss you at night."

He pressed a kiss to my knuckles, making me shiver at the touch of his lips on my hand. "Likewise, believe me."

He removed his hand to finish eating. I finished eating as well. The house elves brought out dessert, which was a single slice of keylime pie.

He scooted his chair closer to me, and he ate a bite of the pie. I ate a bite, and closed my eyes briefly. "Oh wow, I haven't had a keylime pie slice this good since my last trip to Key West."

"Yes, it is one of my favorites as well," Severus confessed, and he fed me the next bite. I ate, and swallowed it. I went to give him the next bite, but he ended up kissing me instead. I set the fork aside on the plate, and kissed him eagerly, meeting him beat for beat. He slid his tongue into my mouth, and I moaned against his mouth as I opened for him.

"Severus..."

"Emma...I...I'm sorry," He apologized, remembering our roles all of a sudden, blushing. "I should not have pressed my obvious advantage."

I caressed his smooth cheek, making him meet my eyes. "It's okay. I wanted you to kiss me."

His eyes went wide with surprise. "Y-You did? We shouldn't. You're lovely, Emma, but..."

"I understand."  
"You do?"

"Yes. But for the record, I quite like you, Severus," I confessed. "I always have. I understand that we have our roles, and all that that entails, but I'm a patient girl. Good night, Severus. I think I will take my first patrol tonight, and if you want to delve into this some more at a later date we can. Until then, I'm perfectly happy just being your confidante."

I left his office, and it wasn't until I was halfway to the library that I realized that I had been crying all of this time. I got myself together, and finished my patrol, and I only had to issue four detentions to a Hufflepuff, three Slytherins, and a Ravenclaw sixth year boy who was making out with his girlfriend near the entrance to Ravenclaw Tower.

I joined Professor McGonagall on her patrol, and we talked of incidental things, and she showed me the way to the Head Girl quarters, and that the password could be anything I set it to.

When I went inside the Head Girl quarters, I was both struck by how elegant and modern it was. The flat screen television was on, and sitting on the couch was Draco Malfoy as the Head Boy.

  
He smirked when he saw me. "Well, this is an intriguing development. I get to share space with the Golden Girl herself. I noticed you weren't at dinner tonight, my godfather neither. So what is it, Granger? Are you and he, you know..." He slipped his finger into a hole in his hand, and moved it in and out.

I didn't rise to the bait, and folded my arms across my chest. "Whatever, Malfoy. The fact that you would think I'm fucking the Headmaster just shows how much of a perv you truly are."

Draco laughed, "Uh huh, that's not a 'no,' I hear in your tone. Sit with me, and watch Beauty and the Beast with me, seeing as how we're roomies now, and we can't have visitors in here."

My heart stopped. Shit! I was the main character in that movie. Luke Evans and I had this funny repoire off camera, and he was a lot of fun even when he flubbed his lines, and was less Gaston-like than he should have been in his scenes.

"Ugh! Why did they have to put singing in...holy crap! Is...is that you??" Draco demanded, facing me.

He stared at me, and I took a deep breath before asking, "Can I level with you? Being that you're Professor Snape's godson?"

"I...Yeah, but if you're not Hermione Granger," He stammered, licking his lips nervously. "Then who the hell are you?"

"I'm Emma Watson," I confessed, and I told him about what happened to me. Draco turned off the television, and paced about the room, and stared at me, and looked at me, really looked at me for the first time. "...And that's why I am sincerely asking you to please, _please_ , by all you hold dear, to not tell anyone that I'm not really Hermione Granger. I know she's still out there being hunted by deatheaters, and whatever the Dark Lord has hunting them with Potter and Weasely, so the students cannot know that I'm actually the actress who played her in a muggle series of movies."

"Um, do I look anything like the guy who played me?" He finally asked me.

I smiled, feeling relieved. "Yes. Tom was a good guy, very fun. We um...after the premiere, we had this rather hot one night stand, and he talked about it being something more. But after Alan died, I just couldn't think about anything romantic, even though I had feelings for him. He was a bit more muscular than you, and had blue eyes. He hated dyeing his hair blonde to play you, but he couldn't wear the gray contacts, like Dan with the green eyes. The contacts irritated both of their eyes, I think."

Draco grinned, but then turned serious. "I promise to treat you as if you are Granger in public. If my godfather is keeping your secret, I have to as well."

"Thanks, Draco," I said, hugging him. He hugged me back, and we watched Netflix and snacked on popcorn. I popped on the first Harry Potter movie, and he watched, amazed by seeing the story unfold, played by the actors."

Draco clapped during some parts. "Man, this writer hated Slytherins. You don't clearly."

I shrugged my shoulders. "No, of course not. But I have to pretend to be a Gryffindor for this one last year. Maybe I have a weakness for common sense guys who don't have a big hero complex."

Draco threw popcorn on me. "Hell yeah. Well, I guess I'm going to head to my bedroom. Night', Emma."

"Night,' Draco. Thank you."  
"You bet."

I got ready for bed, and slept fitfully in the big, plushy bed. I missed Severus being there. We never snuggled, but it was comforting to have a man in my bed, it had been a year since my ex, and already, I was missing it. Okay, not so much Billy, since he had a snoring problem that I forced him to get a C-PAP to fix his problem, but with Severus, it was different, it just felt...well, right, sharing the same bed with him. I slept restlessly until I finally fell asleep, and dreamed that I was back in bed with Severus once again, warm and safe....


	7. Visiting Godric's Hollow

Hermione

1997, 24, December...

The sound from the church choir singing in the distance clued both the young witch and wizard that it was Christmas Eve. The village of Godric's Hollow appeared both sleepy, and bucolic in its false peacefulness everywhere.

Harry spotted his parent's house first, and he looked stricken, as if he was reliving things over again. She wondered just how much he remembered, because he was only one years old when Voldemort murdered his parents. Hell, he murdered his mother right in front of him as he cried from his crib in his nursery.

A sign appeared in the front yard of what was once a nice New England two story house. The sign read: _This memorial is dedicated to the two brave souls who gave their lives in order for evil to be extinguished. Let us never forget the matyrs James and Lily Potter for as long as life endures._

The sign had Unplottable charms placed on it so muggles wouldn't be able to see the sign, but any witch or wizard who came to see the Potter house would see it as plain as day. Harry wiped at his eyes, and he had been crying silently.

"This is where it happened, Hermione," Harry said, his voice soft and sad. "This is where Riddle killed them. And all because of Pettigrew. When I see that...that rat again, I'm going to--"

"Harry," Hermione soothed, rubbing her boyfriend's back. "I know. But I'm sure your time will come. Come on, we should go before someone sees us."

He let her lead him away from the ruins of his childhood home. They walked down a few streets before Harry noticed a cemetery.

He stopped in his tracks, and asked, "Do you...do you think my mum and dad are buried in there?"

Hermione looked, and came to the same conclusion, "You know what? I think you might be right? Do you want to see them before we go?"

Harry flashed her a ghost of a smile. "Yeah, I think they would like that very much. Let's go."

They walked, hand in hand into the huge cemetery. It took quite some time to locate the Potter's gravesite, but she found it close to where a church was having a Christmas Eve service.

"Harry, I found them," She announced. Harry rushed to her side, and there was a recent bouquet of white Easter lilies. A card was attached to it written in a spidery cursive script. She took off the card and read aloud, " ' _To my darling Lily, may you rest in beautiful repose for eternity. Love, Severus.' "_

Harry took the card from her, and his eyes went wide with shock. "This...my gods, Snape wrote this. Why? What possible business would he have with my mother?"

" 'Love, Severus,' He wrote at the end. You don't think they had a thing, do you?" Hermione asked. "I mean, they did go to school together, and were about the same age, so they could have. I mean, most teen girls don't just date one guy while in school, even in magical boarding schools like ours."

"But she loved my dad," Harry asserted, shaking his head. "And the guy looks like a gargoyle. I doubt that changed much when he was younger. I mean, Remus and Sirius swore up and down that my mum and dad were like the endgame couple, and all of that stuff."

Hermione chuckled, "I don't know, I could kind of see it. I mean, obviously you're much cuter, Harry, and I love you, but Snape is intelligent, and witty, and he's charming in his own way. I briefly crushed on him in third year, but after he killed Dumbledore so coldly on the astronomy tower, that killed whatever tender affections I might have felt for him. I mean, I'm sure he had his reasons, but you said he had no emotions as he cast the killing curse on him."

Harry agreed, "Yeah. He was pretty scary, like a deatheater that night. It was...pretty unpleasant to watch. I'll never forget it."

Hermione held his hand, and he laced his fingers through hers. She got out her wand, and transfigured a wreath of white roses to sit next to Snape's white lily bouquet.

"Happy Christmas, Harry," She said. Harry smiled, and held her in his arms.

He pressed his lips to hers, and she kissed him back lightly. "Happy Christmas, Hermione. Do you think I could have some time alone with my parents?"

"Sure, go ahead."  
"Thanks, babe."

Hermione looked at the nearby graves, and brushed off some of the snow idly to read who was buried in each grave. But when she got to a flat tombstone, and brushed her fingers to dust off the stone, she found that same triangular symbol Mr Lovegood was wearing on a necklace at Bill and Fleur's wedding.

Curiouser, and curiouser, she mused. "Ignatius Peverell," she read aloud. Harry was still standing by his parent's grave.

"Hey, Harry? Could you come here?" She asked.

Harry headed back to her, and asked, "What's up?"

"Does this symbol mean anything to you?" She pointed to the odd triangle shape that had a line running down the middle, and a circle in the center. It wasn't a rune, that much was clear, but what was also clear to her was that this symbol was important, and meant something.

Harry shook his head, "No, but it has to be important, otherwise, this wizard wouldn't have had it engraved on his tombstone like this before he kicked the bucket, so to speak."

"Okay, then we have to--"

"Shh," Harry whispered. "We're no longer alone."

He pointed to the gates of the cemetery, and sure enough, there stood a very old, decrepit woman wearing a black scarf around her head, and ragged witch robes. Hermione and Harry edged closer to the old witch, and they both recognized her: Bathilda Bagshot.

"I think we should go with her," Harry said quietly. "She might know something about the symbol, and Dumbledore might have told her about where the next horcrux is at."

Hermione suddenly felt a terrible sense of intuition that this felt very much like a trap. She understood why Harry felt like he needed answers, but this feeling persisted as they crept closer, and closer to the famous magical historian. Bathilda said nothing, she just stared at them both, and had this haunted, zombified look to her face that alarmed Hermione greatly. But Harry was entranced? Enthralled? She didn't know what the word for it was, but she had no choice but to follow her boyfriend and Bathilda down two roads where the houses became progressively more poor.

The old witch shuffled on her good leg, one of her hands holding a cane for support as she walked. She fished out some house keys, and unlocked her house. The house inside looked just as dilapidated, and filthy as the outside. Bathilda tried to take a match to light an oil lamp, but Harry muttered, "Let me do that."

He gently stopped the old witch from setting the place on fire, which would have been bad. Hermione noticed a few framed pictures on the dusty fireplace mantlepiece. A picture of a handsome blonde wizard dressed in a Durmstrang boy's school uniform. There was another with a tall, dark haired wizard boy standing next to this same boy wearing a Gryffindor uniform, while the blonde wore his Durmstrang uniform. Right on the mantle was a rather sizable hardcover book that was new.

It was Rita Skeeter's biography on Albus Dumbledore. Of course, the trashy reporter always mixed truth with slander in her articles, but Hermione packed the book into her purse, along with the framed picture of the blonde Durmstrang boy, and the darker haired Hogwarts boy who shared her school House once upon a time. She knew that the book was important in some way, but what its importance was she had no clue now.

Harry then went upstairs with Bathilda, and Hermione followed, keeping her wand lit to see by. Once they were upstairs, Harry and Bathilda began speaking in parseltongue, and she began to change, and morph...into Voldemort's pet anaconda.

Harry and the snake fought and she tried to help Harry, but he dropped his wand in the fight. Hermione picked up his wand, and she cast a curse on the snake, and just as it was about to strike them, the curse rebounded and shattered Harry's wand into pieces. She disapparated to the Forest of Dean, and prayed that the snake didn't apparate with them. She grabbed Harry, and felt the familiar tug on the bottom of her navel, and they arrived safe, and sound in the Forest of Dean.

Harry was unconscious, and so she set up camp herself, and put up the protective enchantments. Then she saw to Harry. She put two cots together and transfigured it into a single king sized bed for them; it wouldn't be the most comfortable bed, but at least they would be sharing a bed together as they tried to do with their sleeping bags lately. So far, they did nothing but make out, but the time was coming, she could feel it.

She levitated him with her wand, and took off his shoes, but left his clothes on. She tucked him in underneath the covers, and put his glasses on the nightstand so he could find them easily, since he was blind as a bat without his glasses. She then took a blanket, Skeeter's book, and Harry's broken wand.

She tried to repair his wand with a few spells she knew, but to no avail, his wand was beyond repair, and she was no expert on wand lore. So, she took the first watch, and began to read Skeeter's biography on Dumbledore.

Harry woke up two hours later, and he joined her, and said, "We need to talk. Where is my wand?"


	8. The Forest Of Dean

Hermione

"We need to talk. Where is my wand?" Harry asked Hermione when he found her reading a book by a tree.

She lifted up part of the blanket, and Harry looked at the pieces of his wand. He looked both sad, and almost relieved. "I'm sorry, Harry," She apologized. "I tried repairing it, but wands are different. When we were fighting the snake, I cast a curse at it, and the curse rebounded on to the wand, shattering it to pieces."

Harry sighed, "It's fine, I guess. I'll take the next watch, and wear the locket too."

"Okay. But you're not really mad?"

Harry shook his head. "At you? No, you saved my life. I'm forever grateful for that. Can I join you under the blanket?"

She smiled up at him. He gathered up the remains of his wand, and put them in the right pocket of his jeans. He joined her under the blanket.

"I found out who the blonde boy in Bathilda's was," She added, snuggling into his chest. "His name was Gellert Grindlewald, and apparently, he and Dumbledore had a relationship. Here is young Dumbledore here, and was described as having dark red hair."

Harry chuckled, "Well, I guess if I were gay, I might think Dumbledore was cute too. But are Grindlewald's eyes supposed to be like that?"

"Yes, he was born that way," She said. "Viktor Krum wore this school uniform, so he went to Durmstrang, and he was reportedly very good at both Potions, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. But he was expelled from Durmstrang for dangerous experiments in magic."

"Yikes. What would Dumbledore see in this guy besides being good looking? I certainly wasn't aware that Dumbledore was gay. He never told me in all the times we talked," Harry informed her.

Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. But look at this letter Dumbledore sent to Grindlewald his fourth year. It's the same symbol on the grave in Godric's Hollow, and Luna Lovegood's dad was wearing a silver necklace with the symbol as a pendant. It keeps popping up. I don't know what it has to do with destroying the horcruxes, but this symbol is important, and I for one want to know more about it."

"I agree, but going to Mr Lovegood's might be risky," Harry added.

Hermione nodded, "I know, but I have no way of knowing how we're going to destroy the rest of the horcruxes at the rate we're going."

"Yeah, I'm a bit worried about that as well," Harry agreed. "I mean, I used a basilisk fang to destroy Tom Riddle's diary in the Chamber of Secrets. We don't happen to have access to a huge snake corpse to take advantage of its fangs and use its leftover venom."

"True, but didn't you also use the sword of Gryffindor?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, but what are you getting at Mione'?"

Hermione suddenly felt inspired. She grinned, and rushed into the tent. She rummaged through her purse, and found Hogwarts: A History. She flipped to the section where it talked about the sword, and how it was forged.

"Oh my gods! Harry, I'm such an idiot! The answer was staring at me the entire time!" She exclaimed.

Harry came into the tent, and sat next to her at the picnic table that was part of the tent's furniture. "Okay, what are you looking at?" He asked.

Hermione pointed to the mention of the sword of Gryffindor being goblin made. "Don't you see? Goblins forge their metals to be stronger than most metals. They only take on elements which make it stronger. You stabbed the basilisk with the sword of Gryffindor in the Chamber of Secrets, and the venom got into the metal of the sword, making it stronger, and able to--"

"Destroy horcruxes!" Harry interrupted, amazed. "No wonder Dumbledore tried to give the sword to me in his will. But Snape has the sword now, being that he's the Headmaster, and he hates me. I doubt he's just going to hand it over to me if I beg him nicely for it."

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know, his loyalties seem pretty flexible. But you're right, he's not a big fan of me either, although I don't think he hates me, exactly."

But Harry wasn't looking at the book any more, he was transfixed by what he saw on the Marauders Map. "Harry, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

Harry looked at her, really looked at her, and pointed to the Marauders Map. Her name was printed just beside Severus Snape in the Headmaster's office. The feet were close together, and not moving, but they were standing close enough to touch.

"H-How? This makes no sense, Harry," She stammered. "I'm right here, who is this with Professor Snape if she's not me??"

"I have no idea, but when we get back to Hogwarts, we're going to find out," Harry decided. "And if she does look like you, I will have a ton of questions for her."

Hermione agreed, "Me too." She blushed as she looked at the map some more, "Oh my, they're um...yep, soo do not want to see them go to the Headmaster's bedroom to...um...nope, nope, nope."

Harry looked at it, and blushed, "Eww, really? She has poor taste in wizards, I think. Gross."

"Harry, that's mean."

"Yeah, you're right. So, I guess that I'm going to take the next watch. You go inside and rest, I'll have to borrow your wand, and it's my turn to wear the locket."

Hermione took off the locket, and reluctantly, handed over her wand. Harry put on the locket, and took her wand from her. He gave her a brief kiss on the lips, and she went inside the tent and rested. Who was that girl in Hogwarts? What business did she have with Professor Snape? She had to know, and she would find out, and soon.

But before she could solve these mysteries, something happened later on in the evening that changed their mission to hunt horcruxes forever: The arrival of the sword of Gryffindor itself....


	9. A Special Camping Trip

Emma

"Are you sure that I can't come with you?" I asked Severus as he took the sword of Gryffindor down from its display case in his office.

"I would rather not risk it," He argued, touching the hilt of the sword lightly. "But something tells me that you won't be satisfied unless you accompany me."

I grinned. "Well, yes. Why wouldn't I be? I did pass my apparition test with flying colors, and I would like to think I'm fairly proficient in magic."

Severus sighed, cupping my cheek. "You make some excellent points, but this was something I was supposed to do on my own. Potter and his friends cannot know that I assisted them in any way."

I ran my fingers over the buttons of his frock coat idly. "I know, and I won't interfere with that. But you do know that it's Christmas, and if you have to spend it in a tent, why not spend it with me?"

He looked down at me, emotions warring on his handsome face. He traced my lips with his thumb, and I closed my eyes, loving the feel of him touching me, however small a contact it was.

I opened my eyes, and his gaze was smoldering. "Whatever will we do to pass the tedium of being outdoors in the snow?" His voice a low purr.

I shivered from it, and I looked up at him, tracing his lips with my own finger. "Oh, I think we can come up with something," I purred back.

His beautiful black eyes sparkled wickedly. "Are you certain you want me, Emma? Things between us haven't always been easy, and--"

I put a finger to his lips. "Shh...I know what I want, Severus, and I know that I want you. Just you. I don't care about your past, or what you had to do to survive. I only know that I have never felt like..." I blushed, "The way I do for you. I tried to fight it, but ever since you first kissed me, I began to feel it. Please tell me you feel it too, Severus."

Severus looked like he was fighting himself as he turned away from me. He gripped the edge of his desk, and breathed heavily. I went to him, and he stared deep into my eyes.

"I...I did love a witch once," He said, his breath came in gasps as he steadied his breathing. "Or, thought I did. She was beautiful and kind, and because I was abused as a child, I took that to mean she loved me as I loved her. But...But she chose a bullying jock over me! I could have given her love, happiness, treated her like an equal, but then I meet you years later, and I'm drawn to you. I shouldn't be, but I am. Every time you're around me, I feel..."

"Complete," I supplied.

"Yes. And when you're not with me, I feel like a part of me is gone, like an arm, or some other vital part," Severus explained. "What are you doing to me, witch?"

I teared up, moved by his words. "What are you doing to me, wizard? What are we doing to each other?"

He pressed his lips to mine, and parted my lips with his tongue. I grabbed on to his coat for dear life as our lips moved over one another. Our kisses tasted salty with our tears, but my heart felt like it would burst from how complete, how very right this felt.

He ran his fingers through my hair, and trailed his lips down my neck, making me sigh, "Severus..."

"Tell me to stop," He pleaded, his hands moving down to cup my breasts through my shirt, and down my waist to cup my ass through my skirt. I wrapped a leg around him, and he ground his hips into mine instinctively. I gasped at how good he felt rubbing against me.

Still, he kissed me, pouring his pent up passion and affection for me into it. He lifted me up, and placed me on the edge of his desk. I wrapped my legs around him, and I grabbed his ass as we kissed deeply, passionately.

"Emma, say you're mine," He rasped against my mouth. "Please. Please tell me you will be mine, only mine."

We stared into each other's eyes, breathing hard from kissing so intensely. "I'm yours, only yours. For however long you want me," I said seriously.

Severus let go of me, and knelt at my feet. "Then bond with me."

"Severus..."

"There is a war going on around us, and any one of us could be killed in the coming months," He explained, taking my hands in his. "I know it is rushing things, but if things are going to get as bad as you say they will, then I want to die knowing that I am loved and will be remembered fondly by at least someone. Emma, will you do me the honor of bonding with me as my wife?"

Tears filled my eyes as I felt overcome with emotion. I smiled warmly. "This is crazy. We've only known each other a few months."

He chuckled, "That's not a no, I hear in your tone."

"No, it's not," I chuckled. "And you're right, there is a war going on around us. Yes, of course I will bond with you, Severus. I would be honored. What do we have to do?"

Severus rose, and said, "Wait here. I will be right back."

He went into his bedroom, and came back within a few minutes. He brought out two black felt ring boxes. They were simple white gold bands, but were beautiful in their simplicity. I couldn't stop the tears from falling, they were perfect.

  
I reached for my ring, but he shook his head. "Not yet, I want to do this tonight when we are truly alone."

"Oh. But that would imply you know exactly where Harry Potter and his friends are located," I pointed out.

Severus smirked. "You forget that I taught him and his friends for years. Miss Granger and her friends may believe they can cover their tracks, but magic, good and bad leaves traces. It was one of my specialties as a deatheater to track magical life force energies."

"Among being skilled with poisons, I assume?" I asked.

He grinned. "Yes. But since you are so insistent upon accompanying me tonight, we should go after dinner."

"And then we will have dessert."

He lifted my chin with his finger, and kissed me, playfully tugging my lip afterwards, as he pulled away. "Indeed. But I cannot help but sample a taste before the main course is served."

I winked, and said, "Well, then I will pack my things in my quarters. I am looking forward to tonight."

"Likewise."

Severus let me go, and I packed my things quickly. Draco was just getting ready to go to dinner, and he said, "You seem to be in a hurry."

"Yes, well, I have plans."  
"With my godfather?"  
I nodded.

He grinned knowingly. "Ah, I thought as much. Whatever it is, I'm not going to ask, you have your stuff going on, and I have mine. I wish we could sit together, but you know the rules."

"Yes, just give the Carrows hell while we're away," I added.

Draco laughed, "You got it, Watson. Time to go play snake and lion."

"Damn straight. After you, _Malfoy_ ," I sneered at him.

"No, after you, _Granger_."  
"Whatever, _Malfoy_..."

💚🐍💚

We exchanged a smile at that, and separated to go to dinner in the Great Hall. The Carrows sat at the teacher's table like ugly, homely vultures. The other teachers, like usual, ignored the two deatheater interlopers, and decided to associate with their own social clique. Instead, the Carrow twins decided to prattle on whatever they had to say to Severus, because he used to be one of them. But it was clear that he was annoyed with the sound of their prissy, strident voices.

I ate what I could, and when dinner was over, I made it seem like I was going back to my quarters, but I was actually going out to the Black Lake. I hid by the huge weeping willow nearest to the lake, and I checked my watch.

Half an hour went by before Severus showed up with the sword of Gryffindor. "Apologies for the tardiness, that stupid Alecto bitch decided to flirt with me. I had to take a shower to purify myself. I couldn't trust that a scorgify charm would be enough."

I giggled, "Apology accepted. Are you ready?"

"Yes."

He held out his hand, and I took it. He kissed it, before lacing his fingers through mine. He apparated us to a forest in Dean. Severus unsheathed the sword, and it acted like a sort of divining rod. Severus smiled knowingly.

"Their camp is just beyond the lake to the North," Severus announced. "Can you sense Miss Granger?"

I took out my wand, and my vine wrapped wand felt like it was vibrating in my hand. I smiled, "It's not like Hermione is my actual twin sister, or anything, but my wand and hers share the same core, so it senses that she is near. I think our magic is linked together on a deep level."

Severus nodded. "We should set up camp within that circle of trees. I will complete my mission when it gets dark, and lure one of them out to retrieve the sword."

"Pity it's not a gun," I remarked. "That could have been more useful."

Severus chuckled, "I can't disagree with you there. But let's get the sword to them, and we can have our night together. Deal?"

"Deal..."

💚🐍💚

I set up the camp, drawing on my earlier years of camping with my parents, and brothers and sister. Would I be able to see them again? I had no way of knowing, really. Severus set up the protective enchantments, and I came out to help him. We set up a firepit, and roasted marshmallows over the fire, and snuggled under a blanket I brought for this occasion.

The stars were starting to come out as the sun set, and we fed each other our marshmallows. "I'm sorry I would have brought chocolate and graham crackers, but the house elves had no idea what those types of crackers were," I apologized.

"It's alright," Severus said, smirking. "I'm fine with enjoying this moment with you. I much prefer this to solitude on a night such as this."

"I agree. Do you have to go soon?"

"Yes," He replied, kissing me lightly. "But I will return. I shouldn't be too long."

"Don't be too long."  
"I won't."

Severus took the sword of Gryffindor, and he made a path over the lake, freezing it more solidly as he walked across. I watched him leave, and I got the tent ready for his return...

💚🐍💚

Severus

Reaching Potter's camp was as easy as pie. He knew that he couldn't see precisely where their tent was, due to Miss Granger's protective enchantments, but he found a small pond near to where their magical life force signatures drew him.

He caught sight of movement, and saw Harry Potter on patrol. _Hmm, interesting. Well, just get this over with, you don't want to be out in this damn cold weather any longer than you have to be._ He walked to the pond, and looked at the famous relic of Hogwarts history. The damn sword belonged in a museum, not in the hands of a seventeen year old wizard. But orders were orders, after all.

"Diffindo," He cast with his wand. A small hole in the ice opened up, and he dropped the sword in there.

Once the sword dropped to the bottom, he sealed up the hole, and cast the patronus charm. A doe flew out of his wand, and walked gracefully to the edge of the pond as if to take a drink. He watched as Potter caught sight of his patronus, and he knew that his work was done, either the Chosen One would retrieve the sword or not, it was no longer up to him.

He left as stealthily as he came, and caught sight of Ronald Weasely catching sight of his patronus. Well, that was none of his affair either, he had his own witch and camp to get back to, after all.

Emma...yes, it would be a magical night for them both, he would make sure of that. They had been working to that inevitability ever since they met, and wizarding war or not, he would make her his at long last....


	10. A Special Camping Trip Pt. 2

Emma

I chose to wear a sexy black baby doll nightie with a very lacy thong, and lace covering the tops of my breasts. I normally didn't wear such revealing stuff, but I felt like since this was going to be our first intimate night together, I figured that I would go all out. I put on a short black satin robe to cover up my lingerie, and leave something to the imagination. I lit some candles, and created a nice romantic ambiance with its soft light in the spacious, luxurious tent that of course looked smaller from the outside.

I arranged the black bedding of our transfigured bed, and was reading a Charms textbook, and reading my required chapter on glamors when Severus came in. He looked around the tent, and then at me.

"I could stand to see this more often, a beautiful witch waiting for me like this," Severus quipped.

I helped him undress, and cast warming spells on him. "You're freezing!" I said, taking his hands in mine, and blowing on them. "Did you deliver the sword?"

"Yes, but now, I want to focus on us," Severus said, undressing to his black pants. He took off his socks and boots, and found the ring boxes. He knelt at my feet.

"Will you be mine from this night onward, Emma Watson?" He asked formally. "To be my wife in every sense of the word?"

"Yes," I said, my voice steadier than the pounding of my heart. He took out my ring, and slid it on my left ring finger. The ring fitted to my finger perfectly, and it would not come off.

He rose, and he handed me his wedding band. "Will you be mine from this night onward, Severus Snape? To be my husband in every sense of the word?"

"Yes," He said without hesitation. I slid the ring on his right ring finger. He tested it out, and it would not come off.

He gently cupped my face in his hands, and kissed me softly, deeply. He looked down at my robe, and then at me, smiling knowingly. "Do I get to open my present?" He asked softly.

"Yes, you do."

He untied my robe and let it fall to the floor. He looked at my nightie, and he trailed his hands down the sides of my neck, and waist, and to my ass as he kissed me with more heat.

"Happy Christmas, wife."  
"Happy Christmas, husband."

I blushed, and looked away, but he tilted my chin to meet his eyes, "Look at me, Emma. I want to see you."

I wrapped my arms around his neck, and crashed my lips against his. He picked me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he walked to the bed, still kissing me passionately. He laid me down on the plush mattress, and I reclined against the dark green pillows.

He undressed the rest of the way, and I went hot and cold over seeing him naked for the first time. God, he was gorgeous, with a toned chest and abs. He had a lot of scars on him, but it did nothing to detract from his dark looks. What made it hotter was that he was mine, mine alone...my husband. My parents had assumed that as I had a career so young in life that I wouldn't go the family route, but it turned out that I just had to find the right man. _No, just a man, a dark wizard,_ I reminded myself. _A dark Prince of the wizarding world._

Severus crawled to me, and he parted my legs with his knee. He winked at me wickedly before kissing up my legs, but when he got to my inner thighs, he replaced his lips with his tongue, tongue lashing me mercilessly.

"Mmm, Severus. That feels so good, babe," I moaned.

"There is more," He promised.

He slid my thong off, and he grinned, "Mmm, I highly approve, love. But I think I prefer you bare before me tonight. Fortunately, we have all night to explore one another."

I smiled at him, and nodded for him to continue. He continued to kiss along my inner thighs, until he got to my pussy. He held my hips in place with one hand as he licked up and down the folds of my labia. I grabbed the sheets and moaned as he continued his ministrations, his breath hot against my skin as he inserted a finger to thrust in and out of me. His tongue worked my clit in concentric circles as I could feel my core tensing from within. He inserted another finger, and thrust them in and out in time with his teeth playfully grazing my clit.

I ran my fingers through his soft black hair, and spread my legs wider, bucking my hips to ride his fingers more as he built up the friction between us. Severus used his tongue again, and the tension in my core built to a height I had never felt before as he dipped his tongue into my core, working it skillfully in and out, and swirling it.

He pushed his tongue further inside of me, and that was when I screamed as I orgasmed. Severus popped his head up, and he cast a wandless charm to clean himself up. But he wasn't done with me, no, he was just getting started. He licked up my abdomen, and dipped his tongue into my navel, and gently tugged at my simple bar navel ring, making me chuckle.

He grinned wickedly, and winked as he put a finger to his lips. I nodded, and he went back to work. He rained kisses along my ribcage as he cupped my breasts in his hands. He blew little puffs of air along my nipples before he licked each nipple with a gentle flick of his tongue, and the feel of his tongue and lips kissing, no worshipping, my breasts with great adoration and love made me adore him all the more. When he was done, he trailed his tongue between my breasts, and he nipped along my neck before he stared deep into my eyes.

I almost could not breathe as we looked at one another. A tear ran down my cheek, and he brushed it softly off my cheek with his thumb. He traced this same thumb across my lips. He then began to nibble my lips before dipping his tongue into my mouth. I kissed him back, my fingers raking through his hair as he deepened the kiss.

He broke it for air, and his eyes asked if I was ready. My eyes flashed back that I was. He kissed down my body again, and then fitted himself to my entrance. I wrapped my legs around him, and I ran my hands up and down his muscled back as he filled me completely seemlessly.

I cried out when he hit bottom. "Are you alright?" Severus whispered.

"I'm fine," I whispered back. "You're just bigger than I'm used to."

A grin of pure male pride touched his lips. "Oh. Do you want me to stop?"

I giggled, "Hell no. Don't you dare stop. Fuck me good, wizard."

"Yes, witch."

He pushed further into me, and I lifted my hips to meet him thrust for thrust as he began to move inside of me. I crossed my legs at the ankles as we began to kiss roughly as he picked up the pace, his cock stretching me almost painfully.

Sweat built up between us, but we didn't care, as we lost ourselves in each other. Severus put my arms above my head as he kissed down my chest, and nipping my nipples briefly. He then pulled me into his lap, and all but ripped my nightie off of me.

His black eyes said it all what he thought of my naked body, and in that moment I had never felt so loved or cherished in my life. He held my hips as I rode him, our lips moving over each other, and our tongues mimicking what he was doing to my pussy over and over again.

The tension was building in my lower half as he rubbed my clit with expert circles. "Oh! I...I'm close," I moaned.

"Let go, love," Severus purred in my ear. "I want to hear your pleasure."

I rode him faster, harder as I built up to a fast rhythm, the tension building and building until I felt myself let go. "SEVERUS!" I screamed as my body wept, soaking him and the bedding beneath us.

I felt myself cry, and he held me tenderly, rocking me. When I came down off of my high, he was smiling wickedly at me. "My turn now," He remarked. "Lie down on your stomach."

I wasn't sure where he was going with this, but I was soon left in little doubt of what he wanted when he began licking up my juices with his tongue, and he stroked himself with some of it. I then felt him slide inside of me, and I gasped at how good he felt in this position. He held my hands, lacing his fingers through mine as he moved in and out of me.

"Ahh...mmm...Severus..."  
"Shhh...love..."

He silenced me with a toe curling kiss that made me tingle all over, his hand gently stroking my throat as he kissed me passionately. His thrusts increased in intensity as he moved in and out of me.

After a while, he gasped and he whispered, his breathing ragged, "Emma..." As he filled me with his seed, the warm ropes of his cum filling my womb deliciously. Neither of us saw the magic of the marriage bond form around us, but we felt it seal us both in our hearts as we finished consummating our union.

He collapsed beside me, withdrawing out of me. Already, my body felt colder without him inside of me. I curled up in his arms, and rested my head on his chest. We were both sweaty, but neither of us cared.

Our eyes met, and he gently cupped my cheek and kissed me. My lips were swollen by his kisses, but again, I didn't care in that moment....

💚🐍💚

"Thank you," Severus said softly. "I never thought it could be as beautiful as we made it tonight."

"It is only because we love one another," I pointed out.

Severus smiled softly. "Yes, but the words are cheap in of themselves. I know that I love you, but I believe in actions over words."

"I agree," I agreed wholeheartedly. "But once in a while, I want to hear the words."

Severus chuckled, "Very well. I love you, Emma. My angel, my beloved wife. Is that sappy enough for you?"

I laughed, "Yes, my handsome dark Prince. I love you, my beloved husband. Sappy enough for you?"

He feigned a look of disapproval. "Yes, more than enough to make me vomit. Although, I think you overestimate my looks."

I playfully socked him in the chest. "Oh shut up, you have to know that you're handsome, right?"

Severus shook his head, serious. "I have certainly never thought that of myself. I cannot believe that you do."

I kissed a small cigarette burn scar on his chest, and said, "Of course you're handsome to me, Severus. Even before I began to love you, I have always thought so. I chose you, and I love only you. Am I not beautiful to you?"

Severus caressed my cheek, and idly played with a lock of my hair. "Yes, you are very beautiful," He confessed. "Exquisite is the word that comes to the forefront of my mind. You charmed me from the start, and that is a rare feat, so color me impressed. Which is why it perplexes me why you would choose me."

I rested against his chest and wrapped my arm around his waist. "Because I genuinely like you as a person, Severus. You are honorable, witty, intelligent, and brave. The bravest man and wizard I have ever met. How could I not lose my heart to you?"

Severus smiled, "Then I will value only your esteemed opinion of me, seeing as we are bound to one another for life now."

"You make it sound like a punishment," I pointed out.

He chuckled, "I did not mean it to be so, love. I meant it as a clear fact. But I should have warned you that I'm a possessive man, my angel. You are mine, only mine."

"As you are mine," I stated plainly. "I won't tolerate any woman who touches what is mine."

His black eyes sparkled at that. "Duly noted. But I fear that we will have to be back at the castle tomorrow. It would look highly suspicious if the Headmaster of Hogwarts is gone for more than a day."

"Particularly since you didn't tell Professor McGonagall that you planned on getting married," I reminded him.

He laughed quietly, "Touche. But even with our new marital status, we cannot share a bed all the time."

"What of the marriage license?"  
"It will be sent by owl tomorrow."  
"Oh, okay."

I yawned, and got up to blow out the candles. The tent became dark, and I quickly found my way back to bed. Severus gathered me in his arms, and spooned me from behind. I was about to go to sleep when he whispered, "Emma."

"Mmhm?"

"Do you regret not having a ceremony? The white dress, all of those trappings?" He asked.

I sighed, "It would have been nice for my family to see it. But this had more meaning for me this way. Just you and me, together like this."

"If we do get to see them, we will renew our vows," Severus promised, yawning. "I think I would like that."

I yawned, "Me too. Goodnight, my Prince."

He kissed my cheek. "Goodnight, my angel."

We slept then, and enjoyed this one peaceful moment of being in each other's arms, because we knew that there were going to be few days where being together was going to be few and far in between as the wizarding war progressed around us....


	11. The Horcrux Locket Destroyed

Harry

He saw the patronus come quietly out of the woods. Who the hell was casting it? He had no way of knowing, really. Hermione had long since gone to bed, and was sleeping peacefully in their bed. Their bed. A smile touched the Boy Who Lived's lips. Yes, after six years, Hermione was now his, and despite what was going on around them, he felt genuinely happy. They had never made love, he wanted to wait for the right moment for them both, but it was coming, he could feel it, and it would be the first time for them both.

The doe patronus then disappeared into a ball of light, and then hovered over an area of the lake he had not seen before. Harry got up, and decided to investigate. Someone was out there, someone who was powerful enough to see through the protective enchantments Hermione had set up earlier when they set up camp. So far, he or she didn't venture into the camp.

He followed the ball of light. The light fell into the lake, and was gone. Harry saw where the orb of light guided him, and it was under the ice, whatever it was. Harry brushed off the ice, and there, lying at the bottom of the lake was the sword of Gryffindor!

A small part of him wanted to run back to the camp, and forget he ever saw it. But he needed this sword to destroy horcruxes, and that was exactly what he was going to use it for.

He took out Hermione's wand, and pointed it at the hole in the lake. "Diffindo," He cast. "Well, just get in there, you idiot. Grab the sword, dry off, and snuggle with your girlfriend, you coward."

He took off his clothes down to his boxers, and put his dry clothes with Hermione's wand. But the one thing he should have removed, he left on: the horcrux locket. He jumped into the ice hole, and had never felt so damn cold in his entire life. It took every ounce of self control to keep swimming. He swam to the bottom, but as he got closer and closer to the bottom, the locket felt the presence of the sword somehow, and conspired to stop him.

The locket's chain bit into his neck, and he found that he couldn't breathe. He grabbed at his throat, and would have blacked out, and drowned when he felt arms reach out and grab him from the lake. He felt darkness take over him, and then he woke up in bed, and the first thing he saw was Hermione looking down at him and looking worried about him....

💚🐍💚

Hermione

"How is he?" Ron asked for what was, undoubtedly the fifth time.

She had dried Harry off, and cast warming spells on him, and had managed to get the locket off of him. Still, the chain of the locket left large welts along his neck. Harry was sleeping now, and she felt reassured by that, because at the very least, her boyfriend wasn't going to die of hypothermia any time soon.

"Well, he's sleeping now," Hermione answered. "And I managed to get him warm and in bed. But did you get what he was searching for in the lake?"

Ron held up the sword of Gryffindor, and placed it on the picnic table. She cursed under her breath, and wiped at her tears bitterly.

"Well, I sure hope it was worth it," She remarked after a time. "Do you still have the locket?"

Ron nodded. "Yeah, but are you sure he's going to be alright?"

"Yes," She reassured him. "Now, how did you find us?"

Ron sat down in the living room section of the tent, and took out the dilluminator Dumbledore gave him in his will. "Well, after we had that falling out, I tried to get back to you guys to apologize for being a world class git. I tried tracking you guys for a week, and then gave it up for a lost cause. I went back home, and was relieved that mum, dad, and everyone was okay.

"Mum gave me hell for how I acted...you know, about you choosing Harry over me, and stuff. They resupplied me, and sent me on my way, saying it was more important that I help you guys out, no matter what I thought about you two being together. Around Christmas time, I was in Kent, hiding out from the Ministry's goon squad, the snatchers in some closed down ship yard. Anyway, I used the dilluminator to douse the lights like always, only the orb of light floated, and said my name in your voice, Hermione. Nothing else, just your voice.

"It floated, and then touched me right here," He pointed to his heart. "And so I clicked it again, and somehow, it tracked me to this place. I hoped one of you would show yourselves. Eventually, you did, and I saw Harry cast a doe patronus. I followed it, and then had to save Harry from the lake, and grab the sword he was trying to get, because the locket was trying to choke the life out of him."

Hermione listened to all of this without interrupting once. "I won't let you back into the camp until you can apologize," She said firmly. "I am with Harry, I love him. If you cannot accept that, then I don't want you here, Ron. Do you understand?"

Ron looked stricken, but she couldn't be tender now towards him, forgiveness had to be earned, after all, she had always believed that. Finally, Ron sighed deeply and asked, "You really love him?"

"Yes."  
"And he makes you happy?"  
"He does."  
"And treats you right?"  
"Yes, of course he does."

Ron nodded, and looked sad as he said, "Then I accept you being with him. It will take some time, but I think as long as you two are happy, I can accept that he's good for you, even though I have loved you for a few years now. But I would rather stay your friend than not be in your life at all. Will you have me, Hermione?"

He put the ball in her court now, and it would only take one word to send him out of her life for good. No, Harry needed Ron in his life, they were best friends, and she wouldn't deprive her boyfriend of that.

Hermione hugged him, and both friends began to sob in each other's arms as the pain of being without one another washed over them. Finally, Hermione drew away from him, and Ron smiled happily.

"You sure you don't want to do a love triangle thing?" He teased.

Hermione laughed, "Hell no, I was raised better than that. I might with Bill or Charlie..."

Ron laughed, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it. Gods, you're shallow, Mione.' So, how do you think we destroy this thing?" Ron asked, changing the subject.

Hermione tried to open it, but to no avail. "I think Harry has to open it," She concluded. "I mean, he seems to be linked to these horcruxes on some psychic level. I think it would follow that he has to spring whatever trap is inside of each one."

Ron agreed, "Yeah, that makes sense. Especially with all those creepy visions he saw during fifth year, and which saved my dad's life while he was working. I guess we just gotta wait until he wakes up."

"Yes. Did you eat yet?"

Ron shook his head. "No, but can I help?"

She knew that he was just doing this to get back in her good books, but she welcomed the help nonetheless. Soon, they got a nice spaghetti dinner going, and she enjoyed having someone else to talk to, even if the company in question wasn't as intellectually diverting as Harry was.

Harry began to moan, and Hermione said, "Let me go to him first, Ron."

"Okay. I'll fix up a plate for him."  
"Thanks, Ron."  
"You bet."

Hermione went into the bedroom area, and found Harry stirring awake. She wiped at his forehead with a washcloth, and his green eyes fluttered open.

"Hey."  
"Hey."

Harry looked around the tent, and sniffed the air. "Is that dinner? How long was I out for?"

She checked her watch. "Almost three hours. Look, Harry, Ron returned..." She filled him in on what happened, and Harry listened to the story patiently.

"Good. I'm glad he accepts us."  
"Are you hungry?"  
Harry's stomach rolled.  
They both laughed.

"I think that answers that question," Harry laughed. He got up on shaky legs, and got dressed in a fresh outfit.

Ron and Harry reunited, and Hermione was glad that the three of them were together. But when dinner was over, Harry and Ron took the sword of Gryffindor and the horcrux locket outside. She watched from the tent flap, and Harry spoke parseltongue to open the clasp. A shadowy form emerged from the locket, and Voldemort's voice came from it.

"Hermione Granger," Voldemort called. "I see what is in your heart mudblood."

"We're going to kill you, monster," Hermione threatened this phantom. "Harry will kill you as prophesied, and you will be nothing."

Voldemort laughed coldly, "Nothing? Hardly, little girl. It must burn your heart that your position was usurped by your secret twin sister."

"I'm an only child asshole."  
"Are you? Interesting."

The smoke changed to a vision of Snape having some hard core sex with an older version...of herself in a candlelit tent. Tears flowed down her cheeks, and she grabbed the sword out of Ron's hand. She brought the sword down in one fell swoop. The locket shattered on impact, and she collapsed on to the ground, the sword of Gryffindor falling from her hands. Why she felt so heartbroken she had no idea, but she suddenly felt like she was going to faint.

Harry helped her to her feet, and Ron said something, but Harry snapped, "Ron, shut it! Now is _not_ the time!"

Harry sat beside her, and he said, "Mione,' about what you saw...was it true? Did you um, have a crush on Snape for longer than you said?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, but who _was_ she, Harry? She looked like she was a few years older than me, but I felt...no, I feel oddly betrayed by a girl I've never met. We looked almost identical."

Harry blushed, "Y-Yeah, she did. More firm too, no offense. But I felt dirty watching it, I didn't think Snape liked any witches...in that way."

"Yes, it was pretty gross, like watching porn," Hermione agreed. "I um...I didn't think he was that experienced in that area."

Harry could only nod his head. "Yeah, it's pretty clear she means a great deal to him. Snape doesn't strike me as the type to have a casual hook up."

Hermione wiped at her eyes. "If it was a real vision, I have to find her. She could help us. I just hope that if she's at Hogwarts posing as me as a student, she isn't ruining my grades."

Harry laughed, "That's my brainiac girlfriend. Still, if he fell for a witch who looks just like you, what does that say about Professor Snape?"

Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "I couldn't guess, Harry, and right now, I don't care."

Ron came in, and he said, "That was so sick seeing Snape like that with you, Mione!' Please tell me you didn't sleep with the greasy git."

Hermione sighed with exasperation, "No, Ron, I haven't been with anyone. If you haven't noticed, she's a hell of a lot more toned than me, for example. Okay, he's pretty fit too."

"I wasn't looking at him or his junk!" Ron exclaimed.

Hermione laughed, "I don't know, he had a nice bod on him for a guy his age. Kidding, guys! Kidding! I'm a girl, I'm going to look."

Both boys then laughed, and Hermione kissed Harry. He kissed her back, and whispered, "I love you, babe."

"You too," She whispered.

Ron grinned. "You two look cute together you know. Can I come to the wedding?"

Harry hugged his best friend. "Course', man. You know if I ever tie the knot, you're my Best Man, no question."

Ron beamed with happiness. "Thanks, Harry..."

💚🐍💚

After getting ready for bed, Harry turned to snuggle her under the covers. "Are you really okay with what you saw today?" He asked.

Hermione faced Harry. It was dark in the tent, but she could always find his face in the dark.

"No, not really," She admitted. "I told about my crush on Snape. But that fiend ramped those long crushed feelings up to a ten. I mean, I'm happy for them both. But I want to talk to her, Harry. I have a feeling that she knows a lot, and could be useful if I can get her to talk."

"I agree. But we need to talk to Mr Lovegood," Harry asserted. "He's a major flake, but I don't think he will be about this. We have to try."

She agreed, "You're right. There are a lot of variables where something could go wrong, but we have to at least try to see what we can find out about this symbol before we move forward with looking for the next horcruxes."

Harry yawned, "Let's start tomorrow."

"Okay. Good night, babe."  
"Good night, babe."

They shared a tender kiss, and fell asleep in each other's arms, secure in their love once more. Even with all of the chaos happening around them, they clung to the idea of love, because that was the only thing that was going to get them through it all, and to succeed in bringing down Lord Voldemort at last...


	12. Visiting The Lovegoods

Hermione

After coffee and breakfast early the following morning, Ron, Harry, and Hermione packed up the camp. She could tell that Harry was preoccupied this morning, but as to what he could be thinking of, she could only guess.

They hiked to the edge of the camp, and each of them held hands, and Hermione guided them to where the Lovegoods lived. When they arrived at their destination, the house turned out to be some two story ruined castle tower in the middle of moor, just as Luna described it once during fifth year during lunch in the Great Hall.

"It looks like a ruin," Ron observed. "Are you sure this is the place, Mione'?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, Luna was very clear. This is definitely the place. Are you ready to go Harry?"

Harry looked grim. " _He's_ been here recently. We should be cautious. I don't imagine that Luna's dad would hurt us, but something is telling me to be on my guard."

"Okay," She agreed. She took his hand in hers, and he laced his fingers through hers. "We'll follow your lead, Harry. Are you ready?"

"Yes, let's go."

They walked up to the front door, which had a large hedge planted out front with weird heart shaped orange plants. _Keep off the drigible plums,_ a sign beside it read.

A sign was on the front door that said: _Xenophilus Lovegood, Editor In Chief of The Quibbler._ Alrighty then, yep, so the guy worked at home. Harry knocked on the door a few times before Mr Lovegood himself opened the door.

A complete look of unrecognition flashed across his face, and the three friends noticed that he was wearing white pajamas with bunny slippers on.

"Um, Mr Lovegood," Harry greeted. "I'm Harry, Harry Potter. Remember, we met at Fleur and Bill Weasely's wedding?"

Mr Lovegood's blue eyes bore into them all, and he suddenly recognized them, as if a switch had been turned on inside of him.

"Potter," Mr Lovegood said. "Yes, yes, of course. Luna's little friends. Well, she should be along soon, but in the meantime, let's sit and have some tea together."

Mr Lovegood led them all inside, and the house was a bit messy, because of all of the printing press debris that cluttered up everything. Hermione held Harry's hand, and Lovegood set to work making them all tea. They went exploring the house, and eventually, found their way into Luna's bedroom. Inside her room at the topmost part of the tower, a royal blue and gold four poster bed stood, and her entire bedroom was immaculately clean, and meticulously organized. She had various books about magizoology, herbology, potions, and even books on muggle zoology on her book shelves. Little knick knacks of shells, little rocks and plants she found interesting. There was a family of bowtruckles living in a nice little tree enclosure, and they eyed Hermione with interest.

A plushy blue and gold rug with the Ravenclaw eagle was embroidered in the center of the rug, and covered up most of the stone floor of the bedroom. Blue curtains covered most of the triangular paned windows, and the bedroom smelled pleasantly of French lavender and rosemary.

"Blimey, this is cool," Ron said with awe, pointing up at the ceiling. "I...I didn't know she liked us like that."

Hermione looked up, and painted with incredible skill and talent, were the four of them painted in a gorgeous celestial mural. Harry and Hermione had an intertwining heart painted above them as Harry was portrayed as holding Hermione by the waist from behind. Luna and Ron were holding hands, but in a friendly way. _My Truest Dearest Friends,_ Luna painted below them.

Ron blushed at the figures of Hermione and Harry. "I guess she knew you two would be together," Ron remarked. "She painted you without glasses, Harry."

Harry chuckled, "Yeah, and gave me big superhero muscles, so I guess that's cool."

"We should get back downstairs," Hermione suggested. "Oh!"

A bowtruckle climbed on her shoulder, and she tried to get it to climb off of her, but it wouldn't budge. "Do you want to come with us?"

The bowtruckle made a small nod. Hermione put it in her front jacket pocket, and it settled in there comfortably. Ron laughed, "I think it likes you, Mione.' I think it's a boy."

The bowtruckle squeaked, it's little face indignant. Hermione picked her up, and it sat on her hand calmly, crossing her stick legs.

"Nope, this is a girl," Hermione said. "Well, since I don't know your name, you're going to have to ride in my pocket, my purse is crammed with stuff. That's okay, right?"

The bowtruckle chirped happily, and walked down her arm, and hopped back into her front denim jacket pocket. They went downstairs, and the tea service was ready.

Mr Lovegood spotted the bowtruckle, and chuckled, "That's Cherry. She likes witches more than most people, but she's a sassy one, so she will be a handful."

Hermione chuckled, "I will try to remember that, thank you, Mr Lovegood."

They settled to tea, crumpets, and colorful French macaroons. When they were done, they settled into the small, cramped living room.

Harry cleared his throat, "Mr Lovegood, we came over because we wondered...well, what your necklace pendant meant exactly. I'm sorry, but if it wasn't important, we wouldn't have showed up on your doorstep like this."

Mr Lovegood's mood turned serious, and he lifted up the silver pendant on his silver chain. "Yes. Well, this was my grandfather's. You are familiar with the Legend of the Deathly Hallows, I trust?"

Hermione and Ron exchanged looks of realization. "Yes," They said at once.

But Harry was confused. "Um, I'm not following. What are Hallows?"

Hermione read the story about the three Peverell brothers. One died for power, one for love, and one died on equal terms with death itself. An invisibility cloak, a resurrection stone, and a wand made of Elder that was the most powerful wand in the world, supposedly.

Mr Lovegood's blue eyes fixed upon them all intensely. "They're _real_ , children. My grandfather saw the Elder Wand at work himself in Master Grindlewald's days of power. He would swear upon a stack of muggle Bibles that the other Hallows exist. If one owns all of them, it makes one master of death."

"But that's a legend, man," Ron asserted. "I get it, your Grand served the last Dark Lord, but no one's seen the Hallows for a long ass time. Are you sure that You Know Who is looking for them?"

Harry nodded. "He would be looking for Grindlewald's wand. If it's as powerful as you claim, Mr Lovegood, then if he gets...He wouldn't be able to use it!"

Everyone looked at him with confusion. "Mr Lovegood, what does the Elder Wand look like?"

Lovegood got up to grab a piece of paper, and a quill. He sketched it out. The wand was very thin, and had bumps along it's sides. It wasn't a particularly good looking wand, but Harry was breathing hard.

"It's....Dumbledore used it for years," Harry said, shocked. "Wasn't it like buried with him?"

Hermione agreed, "Yes! It makes sense, Dumbledore and Grindlewald had this long standing friendship, which lasted a long time after they um...broke up as lovers. It was only their famous duel in 1945 that severed the friendship for good."

"Dumbledore was gay??" Ron nearly shouted. "Wow! I had no clue. Was you know, his guy?"

Hermione laughed, "No, he was bisexual, he liked both. Skeeter's book confirmed that he married some witch named Queenie, who was a powerful legimens in her own right."

She pulled out the book, and flipped to a wedding picture of the bride and groom. Mr Lovegood grinned, "Ah. She was beautiful. I can see how he would be charmed by her."

Hermione shut the book, and put it back in her purse. An awkward tension fell over the small group, and then Harry had asked the one question he shouldn't have asked, "Okay, this was all very helpful, Mr Lovegood. But we should be going. Would you tell Luna we missed her?"

Lovegood frowned, and began to tear up, fidgeting with his robes. "I...I...They took her. They took my Luna! They were angry you see, about what I had been writing you see in The Quibbler. They said if I stalled you for time that I could have her back, and _Voldemort_ himself would show up to do it."

Instantly, the house began to be blasted with spells, and Hermione, Harry, and Ron grabbed hands, and they disapparated just as Xenophilius Lovegood was blasted with a killing curse that killed him instantly....


	13. Missing In Action

Tom

"What do _mean_ Miss Watson is missing??" Tom Felton demanded, a week after Emma went missing from Universal Studios from the security chief. "So, what you're basically telling me is that my former co star, boarded your fake Hogwarts Express to go to your Hogsmeade theme park in Islands of Adventure, and she just...what, disappeared in a _fucking_ puff of smoke??"

Daniel Radcliffe had joined him on this excursion, and he too had worried about Emma, but he didn't have as much of a personal stake in getting Emma Watson safely back to England where she belonged. No, he cared about Emma, they were best friends, but he didn't love her the way he knew he felt for her.

"Tom, they're doing everything they can, man," Daniel tried to reassure him.

Tom rounded on his friend, "You don't get it, Dan! I won't rest until she is back and safe again."

The chief security chief, who looked like a very nerdy version of Hagrid, except with a shorter body, sighed, "I assure you, Mr Felton, Mr Radcliffe that my team and I are doing everything in our power to get Miss Watson back."

Tom wasn't hearing that, though, "I want to go on the damn train. She _has_ to be there. This is a damn theme park, there's only so many bloody places she could be at."

The security chief looked almost bored, and he hated the man's complacent attitude towards this whole debacle. "Very well, sir. Follow me."

"Are you coming, Dan?" Tom asked.

Daniel decided, "Yeah. Let's go get our girl back."

They got on to the train, and the Hogwarts Express started up. Tom sat in the back of the train, the Slytherin side, and Daniel joined him. The journey was supposed to be a few minutes long, but some kind of vibration? Energy? Whatever it was, suddenly happened, and the two friends looked at one another, and sure enough, Hogwarts castle, and Hogsmeade village loomed in the distance.

Tom looked out the window. "Dan...Are we...Is this really fucking Hogwarts??"

Daniel joined him, and his blue eyes widened. "Oh. My. God. I'm either dreaming, on drugs, or...Emma is actually going to school as a witch. You don't think...um, Alan is there too? Alive, I mean?"

"Tom, that's crazy, he's dead."  
"Yeah...In _our_ world."  
"No. No, that's insane!"  
"Tell me about it."

The train stopped, and Tom found a Slytherin boy's uniform, and changed. Dan found a Gryffindor one, but he didn't have the signature round glasses. Oh well, maybe no one would notice.

No wands. Well, maybe they could steal some. After all, he was supposed to be a Slytherin. They disembarked from the train, and a weird cat call was heard in the town. Dark robed figures surrounded them, and pointed their wands at them.

"Ah, Mr Malfoy," One of the figures said, a gravelly voiced wizard. "Mr Potter. Good job, the Headmaster will be sure to reward you. Come with us. Now."

They had no choice but to follow, and Tom fought the urge to gape and gawk at everything he saw. They were led down many corridors, and then to the corridor where a stone dragon stood in place of the gryffin guarding Dumbledore's office.

The deatheater with them took down their hood, and it was one of the Carrow twins. "Nightshade Rose," Amycus said.

The dragon stood aside, and they ascended the stone steps. There were some gasps and moans coming from the office. Tom and Dan looked at each other.

'Is Snape getting it on?' Dan mouthed to him.

'Sure sounds like it,' Tom mouthed back.

A woman screamed in pleasure, and they were shoved rudely into a darker, more gothic version of Dumbledore's office. There was the rustle of people getting out of bed, and things being put on. Then Tom saw a sight he thought he would never see again: A much younger Alan Rickman coming down the stairs wearing an all black robe, and his shoulder length black hair disheveled and having that messy just fucked hair.

He scowled at them all, and then at the deatheater in the room. "Carrow, there had better be a damned good explanation you are interrupting me at this hour of the morning."

"Yes, Headmaster," Carrow cleared his throat. "We just caught Potter, and shockingly, Draco Malfoy in cahoots in Hogsmeade. What should be done with them?"

He was about to answer but then Tom saw Emma come down the stairs dressed in a long silk silver nightgown, wearing a robe over it. Her hair too was messy.

She took in the sight of the two guys, and her brown eyes widened. "Dan?? Tom??"

Alan turned to her. "You know these two, lioness?"

"Yes, from...from work."

Alan took out a sleek black wand, and turned to Amycus Carrow. "Obliviate."

To Tom's shock, the spell actually worked! Alan levitated the deatheater wizard, and was gone for a few minutes.

Emma hugged them both tightly, crying, "Oh my God, you guys are here! You're really here!"

Daniel noticed her ring, and asked, "Is there something you're not telling us, Em's?"

She looked down at her ring, and blushed, "Yes, um...I got married. I know it's crazy, but this is totally real. I'm actually Emma Snape."

She described her story, and how she met and fell in love with the real Severus Snape. "...But this is going to be really weird for you, Tom, since Draco is here. We share prefect duties, and before I got married, I was made Head Girl."

Severus returned, and Emma made the introductions, and how they all knew one another from their world. Tom felt his heart constrict painfully as the girl he loved stood by her husband's side, and he occasionally kissed her hand as they all talked.

"I can only conclude that there is a loose ward that can bring people from your time to this world," Severus concluded. "It must have recognized your unique magical signatures, because no other muggle to my knowledge has arrived on the Hogwarts Express."

Daniel cleared his throat, "Okay, I get the timeline here. Dumbledore is dead, it would be Harry's seventh year if he attended school, and he's on the run. But since I look just like him, I'm guessing that I will have to go into hiding."

A smile touched Severus's lips. "Yes, that would be logical since the real Potter and his friends are on the run."

Emma played with a lock of Severus's hair, and he winked at her. He whispered something in her ear.

Emma blushed, laughing, "Are you sure we have time for that? I do have to be in Charms in twenty minutes."

Severus smirked, "I hear a reluctance to serve your Headmaster, Miss Granger. Must I dock House points as well?"

Emma smirked back, "No, God forbid. Don't you dare be late."

She went upstairs, and got her purple beaded purse. She kissed her husband's cheek, and she left the office, smiling knowingly.

Severus shook his head, "Come. You will stay in the Head Student room until the end of the school day. In the meantime, I have a date in the prefect bathroom, and a full day of work."

He took out the password from his robe, and handed it to Tom. The password was written in Emma's elegant handwriting. They were given directions to the Head Student room, and Severus left them there in his office.

The two best friends, and former co stars had no choice but to follow, and after giving the password to the door, entered a beautiful, and surprisingly, modern living space, and waited for the day to be over at long last....


	14. Settling In

Daniel

The living area was spacious, modern, and very minimalist in design. Daniel found that he liked it very much, because it gave the impression that they weren't inside a castle at the moment. He took out his smartphone. No cell phone service, but the Internet worked. Huh? Who knew? Apparently, Snape was more forward thinking than even Albus Dumbledore.

Tom sagged into the black leather couch, and put his head in his hands. "Um, Tom. Are you okay? I'm relieved Emma's fine, but what's got you so upset?"

Tom lifted up his head, and his blue eyes looked to be on the verge of tears. "You remember the premiere for Deathly Hallows, right?"

Daniel sat next to him. "Yeah. It was a pretty bad time for all of us. We just lost Alan, and Emma took it the hardest of all of us. Even his ex wife was more resigned to it, I think. What did you do?"

Tom began tearing up, and he wiped at his eyes angrily with the back of his hand. "I took Emma back to her hotel room that night, and we...well, okay I'll say it: we hooked up. I kind of said that I _liked_ liked her. And I might have, in the heat of the moment dropped her the L bomb."

His eyes went wide. "Y-You and Emma?? Tom, I can't say I'm too surprised but um...well, she's clearly with someone else now, and--"

"Don't you think I don't know that?!" Tom snapped. "What sucks is that I love her, and she's with the real Severus Snape. I'm happy for her, but I feel like he stole her from me."

"Knowing Em's, I don't think you told her," Daniel pointed out. "But she's clearly happy. It's just weird to see this other version of Alan Rickman I think."

Tom nodded. "Yeah, it is."

He was about to respond when there was a sound at the front door, and then a blonde wizard walked in, dressed in an all black suit....

💚🐍💚

Draco

Potter was here! How? And...who the hell was this other guy? He looked just like him, except for being a bit older than him.

His twin/doppelganger had chestnut hair, blue eyes, and was his same height. But aside from the hair color difference, they could easily pass for brothers, because his mum had blue eyes. Potter's doppelganger looked eerily like Harry Potter, only the eyes and hair were a bit different, and this guy sported a small beard on his face, whereas Potter never went anywhere without shaving, just like him.

"This is just as weird as seeing Alan alive again," His doppelganger said. "I'm Tom, Tom Felton. I can't believe I'm meeting my own character."

Draco smirked, "Yeah, well, I did always say to my mum when I was younger that I wanted another brother."

Draco turned to Potter's lookalike and asked, "So, what's your name? I could tell you weren't Potter straight off because he never goes anywhere without shaving. Oh, and your eye color is wrong too."

"I'm Daniel Radcliffe," Potter lookalike introduced himself. "You've already met Emma I'm guessing."

The three guys shook hands. Draco chuckled, "Yeah, I should know her, as she's my godmother now. I don't blame him, she's quite cute. I'd date her myself if I weren't already with Pansy Parkinson."

The tension in the room was broken, and Draco plied the two dopplegangers with questions about the Harry Potter movies, muggle world, and about themselves all day.

Draco looked at his watch, and said, "Well damn, it's time for dinner in the Great Hall. I have to go, guys, I'm expected in there. Just snap your fingers and house elves will get you guys whatever you need."

Draco left, and all during dinner, he fought the urge to go over and sit with Looney Lovegood for some reason. Since when did she get pretty, or sport some nice boobs of all things? But of course, he had to pay attention to Pansy, because the girl was a shameless attention whore. As soon as he could leave her side, he found Luna skipping towards Ravenclaw Tower.

 _You have officially lost it if you're going after Lovegood of all witches._ He should have just let her pass, but then he cleared his throat.

"Oh, hello Draco," Luna greeted in her dreamy voice that made her sound a bit drugged up a lot of the time. "What can I help you with?"

He shifted from one awkward foot to the other. "Um, I was wondering if maybeyouwantedtohelpmewithsomethingpersonal," He said all at once.

She raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh? And what would that be? We've never been close, as recollection serves."

He pulled her to the side, and explained what happened. She then wore a sunny grin, and she said happily, "Oh, how fun. I have already met Hermione's older sister. I can't wait to meet your brother, and Harry's too. Emma is really nice. I'm glad Professor Snape has her, he deserves to be loved, poor man."

He escorted her to the Head Student room, and the dopplegangers were watching a rugby game on the telly.

"Damn it!" Daniel shouted. "Kent almost had the ball there!"

Tom laughed, "Yeah well, the Irish are kicking everyone's ass this year, man, get over it."

They both stared at them, and Luna said happily, "Hi, I'm Luna. You must be Tom and Dan. Do I have a twin too in your time?"

Dan chuckled, "Um, yeah. Evanna, she's really sweet. Do you know where Hermione is?"

Luna shrugged her shoulders. "Off adventuring with Ron and Harry, I expect. No one knows where they're at. It was nice meeting all of you, but Tom, I think if you want to pass for Draco, you will have to dye your hair blonde. Dan, lovely to meet you, but shave, Harry has never grown a beard."

Draco turned to escort Luna out, and as they walked back to Ravenclaw Tower, he found himself asking her out.

Luna blushed, "I...Yes, I will go out with you, Draco. I have always wanted to. Could we kiss?"

Draco didn't see any harm in that. He cupped her face with his hands, but she pushed him up against the wall and crashed her lips against his. He grinned against her lips, and plunged his tongue in her sweet little mouth.

"Mmm," Luna murmured, and quickly lost her dreamy voice. "It's a pity the school Houses are at such odds. I think I would like to have a nightcap from my little snake. We can set up a date to fuck later, I guess. Until then," She whispered in his ear, "I am going to take a shower, and fantasize about you sticking your cock deep inside me as you pin me to the shower tiles. Good night, Draco."

She nipped his ear, gave the front of his pants a good healthy stroke, and kissed him, nipping his bottom lip as she left him standing in the hallway, stunned.

He went back to his chambers in the Head Student dorms, and went to his rooms. Was Luna's flakiness all an act? How experienced was she in the sack? Somehow, he had a feeling that he would find out, but not until the despot decided to kidnap her next month, and hold her for ransom. Malfoy Manor itself was under siege, and all him and his family could do was weather the storm until the war was over....


	15. Captured

Hermione

The Lovegood house collapsed as the three friends apparated five miles away from the initial blast radius. Harry's scar was hurting him, and he groaned in pain, because Voldemort was still near.

"Treacherous little blighter!" Ron growled. "Is there no one we can trust?!"

Harry shook his head. "He was scared for his daughter, Ron. Weren't you listening earlier? The deatheaters captured Luna for information."

"Yeah, well, I just think he was cowardly, and--"

"Hush!" Hermione hissed under her breath. "We're not alone."

She took out her wand and blasted at some wizards dressed in ragged clothing running their way. The three friends took off running, and put on a real chase, but Hermione worried that these ragged looking wizards were going to recognize Harry's face. She cast a stinging hex, and it hit Harry dead on in the face.

Harry collapsed, and Ron went to help him up, but then one of the more burly wizards grabbed her from behind...

💚🐍💚

"Well, well, what do we have here?" A smooth male voice asked.

A wizard with wavy brown hair stepped in front of her, and looked her over. He had hazel brown eyes, and would be quite attractive if he took a shower. He grabbed her wand, and put it in his pocket.

He ran his knuckles gently down her cheek, and asked, "Well, now. And what would your name be, beautiful?"

 _Get a grip, Hermione! Sweet talk the guy so you can help your boyfriend_ , she sharply chastised herself. She thought of a name, any name, and couldn't think of one. She decided then to make one up on the fly, "P-Penelope Clearwater, half blood."

The dandified snatcher guy grinned, "Well, it doesn't really matter what your name is, beautiful, since you and your lot are likely going to the Ministry for questioning."

"Please don't hurt my friends."  
"Oh, I won't...if you please me."

Hermione tried not to panic. Nope, anything but... _that_. "Boss, c'mere, we found some round glasses up aways. Doesn't the Chosen One have bad eyes?" One of dandified would-be rapist guy's minions called.

Harry was there, being held roughly in place by none other than Fenrir Greyback. Dandified snatcher guy looked Harry over, and asked, "What's your name, ugly?"

"D-Dudley Dursley," Harry stammered, because the stinging hex made it hard for him to talk, due to his face swelling up. "I'm a muggleborn."

_Idiot! Really, Harry?? You_ _**had** _ _to pick your cousin's name?_

"Ah. Well, you're in for a heap o' trouble, friend," Dandified snatcher guy laughed. Then dandified snatcher looked at Harry's forehead, and traced his thumb on the faint lightning scar there. "Change of plan, boys, we're not taking this lot to the Ministry. We're taking them to _her_."

Even Greyback seemed to shudder at that, and whistled, "You sure you wanna do that, boss? She'll tear these three apart."

Dandified snatcher guy sighed, "It isn't something I want to do, but we gotta do it, and take the chance that we've got the real Potter, and his friends."

Greyback sniffed Hermione, and she flinched in response. "Fine, be it on yer head, fancy pants. But I get a taste of this little bitch."

"The witch is _mine_ ," Dandified snatcher guy snarled. "I call it, because I'm the leader of this expedition, Dark Lord's orders."

Greyback growled, "Fine. Virgins are too tame for me anyway. Although, I doubt yer tiny prick can get in her Scabior."

"That's not what your mother said," Scabior retorted.

Greyback laughed, "Considerin' I've had me a taste o' home like I have, that's quite the feat. I'll play with the ginger a bit, he seems keen. I got no preference either way m'self. Come on, ginger, time t'leave these two love birds alone."

"Nooo!" Both Harry and Ron shouted, but they were hit with langlock hexes.

Hermione was held by this Scabior guy, and they disapparated to a sort of tent city. Clearly, his tent was the nicest one, and he was somewhat fastidious. He dragged the curly brown haired witch to his tent, and untied her bonds.

"Why aren't we apparating to where your headquarters is located?" Hermione found herself asking.

Scabior grinned, "It's getting late, and the closest apparition point is a full day away, and it's a bit of a hike. So, until the morning, I think we should get more comfortable, don't you think?"

"I'm hungry."

He touched her cheek, and then wrapped his hand around her neck, squeezing lightly. "I could snap your pretty neck with more pressure, and sleep good at night. So, don't try to escape."

"I--I won't, I promise."

"Good, 'cause all I want is a little something from you, and Miss Bitch from on high can do what she wants with all your lot," Scabior said, removing his hand, but not before brushing his thumb across her lips, tracing it lightly. "I'm looking forward to my gift, beautiful."

The snatcher left, and Hermione felt chills go up and down her spine. If she refused her captor, he would kill her, he had done it before, she could feel that deep in her bones. She had to get to Harry, and renew his stinging hex. She had no idea how long a stinging hex lasted, she had never really researched it before, but usually a hex, especially the bat bogey hex lasted for only a few minutes to a few hours at least. But they were not meant to last a full day, or indefinitely like curses.

She found a place to do her business just outside the tent, and found her wand among Scabior's belongings. She did her business, and cleaned herself up magically. She quickly went back inside, and took off her shoes, and sat on the bed cot, which was not very big. She didn't want to think about sleeping beside this twisted wizard, or being intimate with him, but if this is what it took for him not to kill her, she had to do it.

Her heart felt sore, though. She was saving herself for the right wizard, and she knew that that was Harry Potter. _But think of your survival, and it's only a broken hymen, after all, it's nothing to worry about,_ the practical side of her brain spoke up. Yes, survival, but she had wanted the moment to be special, romantic even...

💚🐍💚

Within minutes, Scabior returned with drinks and enough food to feed four people. "I wasn't sure what you wanted, so I brought a lil' bit of everything the group was serving at the cook out," He explained.

Hermione murmured a brief prayer, and made the Sign of the Cross. Scabior was grinning, "Ah, a religious girl. My dad didn't seem to care about that nonsense. He said if there was a God, then He wouldn't have taken m' mum with spattergroit. I was four when it happened, an' when I got to go to Hogwarts at eleven, I was one o' their charity cases, I guess y' could say. So, what House you get put in?"

"Gryffindor."  
"Hufflepuff, m'self."  
"Oh. I expected Slytherin."

Scabior laughed, and rolled up his left sleeve, revealing his Dark Mark tattoo. "Oh? Cause' only snakes get into th' dark club accordin' to you lions? Well, I got news for you, girl, it's not just the snakes that bear this brand. We've got some lions in our group, badgers, and eagles too, so this war that's going on, you may be fighting your own. Now, eat up, I may be holding you here against your will, but I'm no savage."

She had a ready retort for that, but shut up. No, she would bide her time, and find a way to escape when the time was right. She ate her dinner, and put on an impassive look as they talked about themselves. She gave nothing away in regards to her mission, or about her feelings for her boyfriend Harry, but she could talk about the muggle world.

Scabior himself was a half blood, and so wasn't clueless about muggle technology, and despite his accent, he was very smart in a very down to earth, street smarts kind of way. The food was long carted away, and Hermione kept her wand on the makeshift nightstand, but they were both drinking some strong ale he had on hand. It normally would have been a bad idea, but she was getting drunk.

Somehow, during the evening, her captor got more and more attractive. He leaned in, and pressed his lips to hers. She kissed him back, as if some hidden well of passion had been breached inside of her. Scabior slid her on to his lap, so that she was straddling him. He trailed his lips down her neck, and nipped her.

"Ahh!"  
"Do you like that, beautiful?"  
"Mmm, yes..."  
"Take this off."

She removed her jacket, and two tops. He kissed her deeper, and palmed her bra clad breasts with his hands. She moaned into his mouth. He skillfully unhooked her bra, and ended the kiss to remove her bra.

She shivered against the cool air, but it was nothing compared to the heat she saw in her captor's eyes. He removed his coat, and shirt, revealing lean, taut muscles.

"Lie back, sweetness."

She did, and watched him undress. Her eyes widened when she saw his dick; his was much bigger than Harry's, but then again, the closest thing they got to sex was oral sex. They were taking things slow, but she knew she would learn what the big hype about sex was going to be about. Scabior untied his dark brown hair, and it fell to his shoulders, and for some reason, it looked hot to her.

He crawled to her on the bed, and his lips claimed hers, fast, urgent, as their tongues collided. He kissed down her neck, and then used his tongue to lick down her chest until he got to her breasts. He winked and he took one breast in one hand and teased her nipple, but with his free hand, he held it as his lips closed over her nipple.

"Oh, gods..." She gasped.   
He chuckled, "Don't tell me neither of your guy friends ever played with these damned perfect tits of yours."

"N-No."

He rolled his eyes. "Shit, girl, you need a real man. Let me show you how it's done, beautiful."

He suckled, teased, and grazed each nipple until they were pert, and hard. She had thought that he was done, but he continued his southerly direction down her stomach. He unbuckled her belt, and unsnapped her jeans. He then unzipped them the rest of the way with his teeth. She felt an ache begin to form between her legs, and knew she was getting wet down there.

"Lift up, love," He instructed.  
She lifted up her butt, and he slid her jeans off her legs. He sat back and looked over her as if appraising a piece of fine art.

He whistled, "I'm honestly surprised you're a virgin, girl. You are without a doubt, beautiful. I'm going to enjoy this. But if you fight me, I'm going to make this a nightmare."

"I won't. Go ahead," She promised. "I want to see what the hype is about."

Scabior chuckled, "Good enough for me. Let me take care of you. Has any guy gone down on you before?"

"Yes."  
"Good."

He slid her knickers down her legs, and threw them on the floor. He kissed along her hips, inner thighs, and spread her legs wider. Hermione moaned when her bedmate began to lick up and down her pussy, and fingered her, stretching her in all sorts of delicious ways. Her lower belly began to feel tense as her bedmate licked, fingered, and licked deep inside her.

She gasped, riding his face as he took the hint, and darted his tongue in and out of her. She ran her fingers through his hair as he then began to suck her clit, and work his magical tongue as he fingered her fast and rough.

"I..I'm close," She breathed.  
"Do it, babe. I want to hear it."

He sucked her clit, and Hermione felt her inner tensions release as her whole body came alive as she came. Scabior popped up his head, and cleaned himself off.

"Are you ready for me?"  
"Yes, but--"  
"I'll go slow, I promise."  
"Okay."

He stroked himself for a bit before he entered her little bit by bit. She felt something inside her give way, but as he pushed himself further inside her, that was when she felt a sharp, stinging pain.

"Oww!" She yelped.

Scabior paused. "Do you want me to stop?"

"No, it just hurt."  
"It gets better."  
"Okay, continue. Please."

He pushed further in, and her body began to grow used to such a foreign object inside her. She moved her hips, and he moaned, "Oh, sweetness, that feels good. Move with me, beautiful, and we'll go to the stars together."

 _Forgive me, Harry,_ She thought, as she wrapped her legs around his waist, and ran her hands up and down her bedmate's back as he began to move inside of her. She moved with him, as their lips crashed against his, their kisses turning passionate as his thrusts grew faster and faster as they made love for hours.

Hermione's initial pain was overridden by pleasure, pleasure as she had never felt before as her wizard moved deep inside her over and over. She didn't feel love for this man, but this night wasn't about that, it was about naked, primal passion with a man she didn't care about. She had not realized how much she needed this, until their bodies came together.

They did other positions, but they ended up with her straddling his hips, and him sitting up, holding her close. When they did find their releases, they both cried out, and collapsed on to the bed together, drenched in sweat, and breathing heavily...

💚🐍💚

Scabior withdrew from her, and she felt a little of his seed leak down her inner thigh. "Did it live up to the hype?" He asked.

Hermione laughed, "It felt...I don't really have words for it. I feel bad...I had wanted to wait to do that with my boyfriend. But I'm glad it was with a wizard with experience."

Scabior looked at her with tenderness in his eyes. "You're welcome. But I can't free you and your friends. Big boss would kill me otherwise, you understand, right?"

"Yes, but he's evil."  
"Agreed. But he pays the bills."

"Well, you do what you have to do, I guess," Hermione reasoned. "Do you know where we're apparating to?"

"Yes. But I won't tell you."

"I understand. You were kinder than I expected," She admitted. "And you were wonderful earlier. What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "Nothin'. It's just that if I wasn't on the other side of this war, I could love you easily, girl. Me turning you over to him is nothing personal, babe. I got to make a living, and if you're the Granger witch, well, all the better for me in raking the galleons."

A stupid, girlish part of her felt hurt that her first lover was going to turn her over to Voldemort, but she understood his reasons.

"I understand."

He caressed her cheek, and kissed her forehead softly. "I know. Is there any place to bathe around here? I'm not going to wherever this prison is stinking of sex."

Scabior handed her two black towels, and one for himself. He also grabbed some toiletries in a bag. "Follow me. There's a small lake not too far from the camp site."

He waved his wand over them, casting the disillusionment charm. "There, now no one is going to care if we're naked."

Hermione chuckled at that, but had to admit that seeing Scabior naked again was a nice bonus. She followed behind him, scoping out his perfect ass, the firmness of it tested out quite thoroughly earlier with him pounding away between her legs. She was no longer buzzed or drunk, but she was very buzzed from the act of love itself. Thank Merlin, her first lover was quite good looking, and not someone horrible like Crabbe or Goyle. Eww.

The lake was, indeed small. Scabior put their toiletries down on the shoreline. He got into the water, and she followed. They bathed, and he shaved afterwards. But they soon began to swim together, and before they knew what was happening, they were kissing passionately.

They swam to the shoreline, and made tender love for a bit. They rinsed off in the lake, and snuggled on the soft grass.

"We have to stop meeting like this," Hermione teased.

Scabior laughed, "I can't complain. So tell me, mysterious Penelope, what is your real name?"

"You won't tell anyone else."  
"Scout's honor, baby."  
"Hermione."

Scabior grinned knowingly. "And let me guess, neither boy knows how to get it up. That's the only explanation as to why I had to pop your cherry."

She smacked his arm. "No, I'm with Harry. Ron is...he's more like my brother."

Scabior nodded. "Got it. Do you love him? The so called Chosen One?"

"Why would you ask that?"

"Because you're a passionate witch, Hermione," Scabior said, seriously. "I just don't think you should waste those pretty looks, and perfect body on a boy who may not be able to fulfill your needs down here," He patted her mons lightly, and then kissed her chastely.

"And you can?"  
"Okay, you've got me there."

"Thank you, but the answer is no," She answered seriously. "You're hot, and an amazing lover, but I don't think I could love you."

"Understood."  
"I'm sorry."  
He kissed her softly. "It's okay."

They went back to his tent, and after cleaning up the tent, they got ready for bed, and snuggled before falling asleep for the night. Hermione slept uneasily. She had cheated on Harry, and it felt wrong, very wrong. But would they all live after this day? She did not know, and if she was going to her death, she was glad that she wasn't going to die a virgin at the very least, and with a beautiful set of memories to remember for her last moments as she journeyed into darkness....


	16. An Awkward Breakfast

Emma

Severus and I saw one another sporadically ever since our impromptu marital bonding ceremony, and enjoyed making love when we could, but I knew that he had an entire school to run. I was sad that my husband had to be under such stress, and things were not any easy for me and the other students with the Carrow twins running Dark Arts like their own personal deatheater boot camp.

I kept my ear to the ground, and made my reports to Severus at night as he asked me to do when I first arrived at Hogwarts. But when Thanksgiving arrived, we had to go to Malfoy Manor to celebrate the holiday, and I did not like the idea of meeting Voldemort face to face.

"Are you sure that I actually have to speak to him, though?" I asked, the night before as we snuggled in bed after making love. "You told me that he made it into a veritable prison, and even Draco would rather stay here than go home."

Severus sighed, "I have to put in the occasional appearance to give the appearance of loyalty. Thank Merlin, the Carrows won't be in attendance."

I traced a scar along his chest with my index finger. "Yes, I am thankful for that. I think I would lose my appetite if Amycus or Alecto decided to pull their hijinks while we were sitting at dinner."

Severus chuckled, "Yes, well, there is Bellatrix to deal with."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, and she is batshit crazy. Has Narcissa or Andromeda not tried to hospitalize her? I can't imagine being around the Dark Lord can be very helpful for her mental health."

Severus sighed, "They've tried, but Bellatrix has this deceptive way about her where she can appear sane to charm the doctors into either releasing her, or she escapes. Of course, Rodolphus isn't much better, and he is quite the serial adulterer."

"Oh, joy," I lightly kissed the old scar I had been idly tracing with my finger. "I don't know whether to arrive at the Manor packing, or look out for a film crew to tape this tender family gathering for Jerry Springer, or something."

Severus rose an eyebrow. "I have not heard of this muggle. Who is he? I don't understand the joke."

I explained my joke, and he laughed in his quiet, contemplative way. "Yes, I would imagine that with Bellatrix holding down the fort, she will be on the rampage interrogating whoever replaced the sword of Gryffindor in her vault with a false one."

I giggled, "There's my sneaky Slytherin. Please tell me you didn't have to Imperio any unsuspecting goblin teller to let you into the LeStrange vault."

"No, I'm far too dark haired for that scheme," Severus smiled. "How are your friends settling in in replacing Draco and Potter as students?"

I shrugged. "As far as I know, Dan and Ginny seem to be hitting it off. She didn't like his explanation that he wasn't Harry Potter, but I think they mesh well together. Tom is doing well enough fitting in with Draco's friends since Draco told him enough about your school House to blend in. Tom complains that the gray contacts hurt a bit, though, but he complained all the time on set about the hair dye they put on him, so take that for what it is, I guess. Of course, the weirdest thing is that Draco and Luna seem to be a thing now, and--"

"Shit," Severus interjected, frowning. "I had heard a week ago that Bella's goon squad captured the Lovegood girl, and I had heard Miss Granger."

I narrowed my eyes. "I'm getting my sister out of that hag's clutches, and you are going to help me."

Severus looked torn, but after a while, he nodded. "You're right. I would do the same in your shoes. Although, there isn't a danger of that, is there?"

"No, Alan is dead."  
"Pity."  
"Yes, you two were a lot alike."

Severus yawned, and looked at the alarm clock. "We should get to bed, lioness. Something tells me that we have a very long day ahead of us tomorrow."

I kissed him. "Good night, my love."

Severus kissed me back, running his fingers through my hair. "Good night, my lioness."

He turned off the lights, and we settled in to sleep. But halfway through the night, I felt a bit nauseous, and had to puke in the toilet. Was I coming down with something? It was entirely possible. I was a fairly healthy woman, and active even, but still, I could get sick like anyone. I had to keep a watch out for what this might mean, if anything.

After using the restroom, I cleaned out my mouth with mouthwash, and settled back into bed. Severus instinctively moved towards my warmth, and wrapped his arm protectively around my waist, spooning me from behind. I soon drifted off to sleep, feeling safe and protected in my husband's arms....

💚🐍💚

In the morning, Severus and I sat at the teacher's table for breakfast, since most of the students had already left on the Hogwarts Express. Dan and Tom were still sleeping in the Head Student dorm room, and so wouldn't be saying goodbye to us as we left Hogwarts.

The only teachers who ate breakfast with us were Hagrid, McGonagall, Slughorn, Trelawny, Flitwick, and Sprout, the herbology teacher. Thank God, the Carrow twins were on some secret deatheater mission, and so wouldn't be joining us at Malfoy Manor. But when the eggs were brought out, the smell was just...well, awful.

"Are you alright, dear?" Professor Sprout asked gently. "You look a little green."

I pushed my eggs away. "Um, it's nothing, the eggs just smell like something died is all."

Trelawny chuckled, "Well, that's because these house elves have not implemented my suggestions to cook non fertilized eggs. I'm telling you, Minerva, we would have far less fat students if the menu were more vegan."

McGonagall rolled her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Sybil, for the last time, the answer to your tedious... _suggestion_ is a resounding no. Now, please be quiet, I am far too tired to deal with your odd ideas about how to run Hogwarts. Severus, do back me up, you _are_ the Headmaster, after all."

Severus maintained his poker face. "I have to concur with Minerva, Sybil, not every student follows this lifestyle, and we have no rights as teachers to enforce certain beliefs on them."

"Hear, hear!" Squeaked Flitwick.

Trelawny looked to me, and sighed, "Please tell me you disagree with your husband, Emma. You're my last hope."

"I agree with the others, Professor," I concurred. "I have seen vegetarian students go for only salads and the vegetables at the tables, especially Gryffindors. But you don't see them protesting the presence of meat or dairy products on the table."

Professor Trelawny eyed me suspiciously, "Hmph! Well, I know when I'm not welcome. Oh, and do invest in onesies soon, dear. Hopefully, nothing snake related. I must be off, my Inner Eye is oh so exhausted in soaking up all of your negative psychic energies that clouding my very soul."

She stumbled down the stairs, and then walked out of the Great Hall, tripping on her skirts every few steps. When she was gone, the teachers laughed.

"Poor lady," Slughorn commented, putting more syrup on his pancakes, and slathered it on with his fork. "She needs help with her alcohol problem. Shame that the wizarding world doesn't have help for that...what are those people called?"

"Shrinks?" Sinestra put in.

"It's not just one specialist," I interjected. "The place you are thinking of is a rehabilitation center, Professor. Many specialists help people get over drug addictions, not just alcohol."

Slughorn rolled his eyes. "As if there are other drugs out there, young lady."

"Really? How about heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, crystal meth, mescaline, or let's say opium?" I listed. "I could go on and on. Oh, and people abuse prescription drugs as well. A very well known celebrity who I knew personally, killed himself accidentally by ingesting far too many sleeping pills."

Slughorn sniffed, "Then he was an irresponsible muggle."

I stood up, and fought the urge to smack Slughorn's walrus mustache off his fat face. "Oh? Did you know him? Met his wife? His daughter? You know what? I don't have time for this shit, I have a snake pit to jump into. Forgive me, Professor McGonagall, I don't think I can tolerate the ignorance permeating in the air."

McGonagall nodded, "Of course, my dear, of course. I will talk with Professor Slughorn."

"Thank you."

I turned on my heel, and stormed out of the Great Hall, Severus following close on my heels. I had to duck into the closest bathroom, because the smell of the food was nauseating to me. Severus found me puking in one of the toilets, and he smoothed back my hair, and handed me a piece of toilet paper.

I spit the last of my bile into the toilet bowl, and took his toilet paper from him. "Thank you. I'm sorry, I just couldn't stand the smells of the food."

I wiped up my mouth, and tossed the toilet paper in the trash. "Are you not well? We could always take the train, and have Lucius meet us at the station if you're too indisposed to apparate," He suggested.

I was beginning to have my suspicions that what I had was not a stomach virus, or the flu. "Yes, I think that would be nice. Or, we could always use the floo network."

"I think the train would be more ideal," Severus decided. "We can use the floo network should anything evil befall us while we are there."

"Well, if Hermione is a prisoner as you suspect, I'm getting her out of there," I said, "And if what I have is what I think I have, I don't care, I'm freeing her, and that's final."

Severus touched my cheek, and kissed my forehead, as he pulled me to him, holding me close. "I agree. It was about time I was free of the psychotic despot any way," Severus decided at last.

I rested my cheek against his chest, soothed by the beating of his steady heart. "Have I told you I love you today?" I asked.

"Yes, many times," He winked. "And last night you showed it with vigorous enthusiasm. But that doesn't mean that I couldn't stand to hear it again."

"I love you, Severus."

"And I love you, Emma. _My_ Emma," He drawled, tilting my chin to meet his eyes. Our lips met, and I took the initiative to draw my tongue into his mouth, and he needed no further encouragement as he crashed his mouth against mine, his tongue plunging down my throat as he used his free hand to cup my breast, and circling my nipple through my shirt and bra.

"Mmm, something on your mind, Mr Headmaster?" I teased.

"Yes," Severus smiled wickedly. "But we shall engage in what I have in mind while traveling in relative comfort."

"Will they allow that?"

"It pays to have a relative in government to take advantage of their resources," Severus pointed out. "So, I think that they will. After all, we are married, and we signed the necessary paperwork, so we can do whatever we wish within reason."

I giggled, "As long as we aren't playing wild nudists, I'm game for just about anything you have in mind."

He played with a few strands of my hair. "Oh, nothing too crazy, I assure you. But it is certainly not an activity to be revealed to the students."

"Yes, well, you did tie me up last night, and you blindfolded me," I reminded him. "I didn't mind that, but oh, what a strange sex class that would be, the Headmaster likes to bind up his wife, and use sex toys on her."

"Ah, but you did enjoy it."  
"Yes, I did, immensely."  
"Good. We should get going."

Severus led me out of the bathroom, and he paused in his personal potions lab to retrieve a black medical looking bag that he shrank down magically to fit in his pocket. He had a suitcase that he always kept on his person at all times, just in case he needed to stay anywhere for any stretch of time.

I made sure that I still had my wand and purple beaded purse on my person. Severus and I walked hand in hand to the gate, and the gate let us out by magic. The protective enchantments sealed up behind us, and of course, some of the villagers looked at us with interest, because of our exclusive marital status.

We went to the Hogsmeade train station, and bought tickets on the Hogwarts Express. Severus began to write out a telegram, but then I asked, "Is it possible that Lucius has a cellphone number? If we text him, he will get the message instantly."

Severus gave me Lucius's number. "Cool. I will just tell him it's my number, and yes, it's muggle technology, but since this is last minute, this is how muggles communicate in my time for these situations. I will get you a nice black Android when we get the chance, promise."

I turned on my phone, input the pin number, (Severus's birth year), and first added Lucius's cell phone number in my phone. I then opened up the message app, and Severus watched me work typing out a message.

I sent it off, and waited a few minutes. I heard a ping go off, and I laughed, "Oh good Lord, he literally typed this in French. Um, I'm going to have to explain that the hearts in the eyes emoji means that he is either crushing on me, or in love with me."

I texted back. Lucius texted back, and it was in English this time: _Very well, but I should inform you and Severus about your twin being held captive._

Me: _Can you or Draco free her atm?_

Lucius: _Not without playing my hand early. Draco is taking care of Miss Lovegood._

Me: _Okay. We are taking the train_.

Lucius: _I will be waiting with the car at King's Cross Station._

Me: _Thanks, Lucius. Oh, and the 😍 means that you are either saying you fancy me, or you are in love with me. 😂_

Lucius: 😂 _Thank you, Emma. I have to use this contraption for work, but I'm still trying to understand what all of these emojis mean._

I clicked out of my message app, and Severus looked through my phone as we waited for the Hogwarts Express to arrive at the station. He bombarded me with questions and I answered them as best as I could.

"Fascinating," He remarked, handing it back to me. I turned it off, and put it back in my purse. "But is there a reason the screen is so large?"

"Yes, you can see the content better," I answered. "Like for a video or playing a game. I have quite a large phone contact list, and photos of a lot of people and places, and I don't want to have to squint to look at my phone. You will see if we ever go shopping for a phone for you."

We talked some more, and soon, the Hogwarts Express arrived. We boarded the train, and sat in a very nice section of the train. As we left the station, I felt another bout of nausea and bolted to the bathroom. I finished up in the bathroom, and cleaned myself up. I mentally calculated when my last period was, and I nearly forgot that it was supposed to start a week ago, but I had been so swamped with my NEWT classes that I just assumed my missing it was the result of stress.

I took out my wand and waved it over me. "Medicis," I cast.

A complex medical diagram printed out in mid air, but it calculated precisely when I had my last period, and that I conceived on the night of my impromptu wedding night...nearly two months ago. I breathed a sigh of relief that I was only sick due a fetus gestating inside of me, and not seriously ill. But it still left me the problem of getting Hermione and her friends out of Malfoy Manor safely, and would I be able to escape? When I began to show, that would end any chance of traveling via apparition.

But still...I was pregnant. Pregnant! It was something I never aspired to be, and I had always been careful in the past. I just wasn't with Severus, and this was the result. _Yes, but you want this. You are going to keep it, no question_. Yes, I would, but would Severus accept it? I had no way of knowing. I ended the spell, and tucked my wand back in my clothes.

I came back out to our cabin, and sat next to Severus. He saw my concerned expression, and immediately registered that something was very wrong with me.

"Emma, what's wrong?"

"Severus. I just figured out why I've been feeling sick lately," I said carefully. "It isn't the flu. It's...well, a bit hard to tell you, but..." I trailed off, unable to meet his eyes.

He gently made me look at him. "Emma, I promise whatever is wrong, you can tell me."

I bit my bottom lip, and let it out. I took a deep breath, and said nervously, "I...Severus, I'm pregnant..."


	17. A Moment Of Sweet Vulnerability

Severus

The dour Headmaster of Hogwarts felt almost like fainting. Pregnant...Him, a father? Were the gods truly playing a joke on him? It wouldn't be the first time, nor the last.

Emma was looking at him unexpectedly. "Severus, please say something. I--I know this wasn't planned, but now that I know what is wrong with me, I couldn't be happier. You look...I don't know, upset, or disappointed with me."

Severus drew in a shaky breath, "I...It's not that. I just...I know we weren't diligent enough to prevent the possibility of this happening, but...I am far from disappointed in you, or upset. In fact, I am genuinely shocked, which does not happen often with me."

Emma took out her wand, and waved it over herself. " _Medicis_ ," She cast.

He looked over her chart, and he couldn't deny that this wasn't a dream, this was really happening: In May, or June at the latest, his wife was going to have his child. _His_. A son or daughter, who would be a mixture of both of their looks. Emma ended the spell, and tucked her wand away in her black blazer.

She took his hand in hers, and he lifted her hand to his lips. He kissed her hand softly. "This complicates matters," He commented.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, love. I share the blame in this," He pointed out. "And while I had no room for a family before you came into my life, I can think of no better witch to raise our children with than you."

Emma teared up, smiling. "Oh, Severus. I love you too! I know you, you are stubborn to a fault. I thought you would be more...rigid about not wanting children. Okay, I was that way too, because of my career, but with you? Yes, I can see no one else I would rather have a family with than you."

He chuckled, wiping her tears away with his thumbs. "Maybe we were just waiting for the right person."

Emma caressed his cheek, her hazel eyes shining with love for him. "I know it has always been you," She said seriously. "I'm so glad and honored to do this with you."

He placed a hand on her still flat stomach. "Emma...I...I don't know what to say. You humble me, lioness."

Emma wiped at her tears, and groaned, "Crap, I have raccoon eyes now. Let me up, I have to go fix this in the bathroom." She grabbed her belly. "Mmhm, yep, this kid must really be floating around in there. Are we sure they won't be on the Quidditch team come school time?"

Severus grinned, "My child a jock? That would be the day. I will believe it when I see it."

"Oh hush, let me up, I have to go puke now," Emma chided.

Emma made a beeline for the bathroom, and he looked out the window. The landscape gradually changed as the train began to head to the city. The server came by, and he ordered a croissant for himself, and a latte, and orange juice and fruit for Emma. The server just left when Emma smoothed down her black power suit, her makeup perfectly in place once again.

He saw the flash of silver in her blazer, and rose an eyebrow. She caught him looking. "What? I'm not going anywhere near Bellatrix LeStrange without a second line of defense."

He grinned. "I'm not going to ask if you know how to use that."

Emma grinned, and in the blink of an eye, had the gun out, and had shot three holes into the window of the next train compartment. She holstered it in her hidden shoulder strap, and used her wand to repair the glass window train compartment.

"I had to do a western a year after Half Blood Prince finished filming," She explained. "And I had this really awesome former sniper teach me to shoot for my training. I played Annie Oakley, so I had to get really good with firing two pistols at once fast on camera. He joked that I should have moved to shotguns since I was good, but I joked, and said I preferred smaller calibers, said they were sexier."

Severus laughed, "Yes, I can picture you saying that. Oh, I took the liberty of ordering."

Emma chewed on a pineapple. "Thank you. I'm not thrilled that I can't have coffee for months, but I thank you."

Severus sipped his coffee. "You're welcome. Now, what is the plan?"

Emma shrugged. "We get the prisoners out when the guards change, so to speak. Are there many guards?"

"Mostly Wormtail, Crabbe, McNair," He listed. "Thank Merlin, Greyback won't be at the dinner party, but it is possible for the Dark Lord, and his pet snake to show up."

"I don't condone animal cruelty," Emma frowned, "But since Riddle is controlling her mind, and has warped it to madness, I'm going to call it a mercy killing and save that poor witch who has been trapped as a snake for over seventy years."

This was news! He wanted to ask his wife this later, but his curiosity won out, "How do you know this much about his pet?"

Emma sipped her orange juice. "Jo was working...Sorry, all of us cast members called the author of the Harry Potter novels Jo. Anyway, she let me read some of her manuscript for a story based in America where Newt Scamander, the author of the Care of Magical Creatures book that is still used in Hogwarts, goes to America to release his thunderbird in Arizona. He befriends some muggle guy in New York City, a legilmens witch, and her auror sister, and they go off on this elaborate adventure that brings them in conflict with Gellert Grindlewald.

"Scamander meets this abused young man who lives in an orphanage run by some crazy squib lady, and he's been trying to suppress his powers--"

"An obscurius," Severus mused. "Sorry, do go on."

"Anyways, this abused kid has a friend, or love interest, and he knows this witch as Nagini who was born a maledictus, and--"

"Of course!" Severus exclaimed, amazed. "No wonder she acts like she has more intelligence than regular snakes. Good gods, anyone would go mad being trapped as a snake for over half of their life. Do you know why the Dark Lord keeps her so close? Is it that reason?"

"What do you know of horcruxes?" Emma asked. "You helped with the sword of Gryffindor to help Harry Potter and his friends to destroy them."

Severus nodded, putting the pieces of the puzzle together at last. "I know more than I should. It is darker magic than even I would touch. Essentially, you murder a person and it splits your soul into a piece. The horcrux is a physical object that means something to you, but wouldn't be to most other people. I know he did it seven times, hence his extremely mutated appearance."

"I know that it can only be undone through extreme remorse on the part of the witch or wizard who created said horcrux," Emma put in. "I know that Nagini is a horcrux, and so is Harry Potter. 'Neither can live while the other survives,' or so the prophecy claims."

Severus sighed, "Yes, I was told this before Dumbledore assigned me the task of soothing the Dark Lord's suspicions of my disloyalty. You have to know that I didn't enjoy killing him."

Emma reached across the table, and held his hand. He held her hand gently. "Can I ask how you were able to use the killing curse on him, then? You have to truly desire a person's death to make it effective."

He didn't know how to answer his wife in that moment. Certainly, he was a killer, and once reveled in that fact as a young man, but killing Albus Dumbledore had been almost akin to killing his grandfather in a strange, ironic way.

"I focused on the pain and neglect he put me under when I was a student," He answered honestly. "Believe me, there were many, _many_ times he could have stopped the bullying happening to me. In my situation, I cannot stop it, because of the Dark Lord. He had no such excuse at his disposal. No, it was the old school rivalry all over again."

She laced her fingers through his. "Severus, it's okay to _not_ be okay around me. Do you understand?"

He did know, but he still felt ashamed by his vulnerability. He released her hand to wipe at his tears. She came over to his side, and held out her arms. He held her like a small child going to his mother who skinned his knee playing outside. She said nothing, and merely let him hold her in this way. Why he felt the need to cry he didn't know, but he did, and it was like a dam had burst inside of him. She kissed the top of his head, and rocked him gently.

"I...I'm sorry to have soaked your blazer," He stammered.

Emma laughed, "It's alright. I don't care about that. You needed me, and I was there. I want us to be each other's sanctuary."

"My angel."  
"You are mine too."  
"Can a demon love?"

She felt for horns, and giggled, "Nope, no horns or tail. I think I will settle for you being my dark angel."

King's Cross Station was coming closer and closer. They shared a tender, soft kiss. When the train stopped, the conductor announced that they had arrived.

"We should get out on the Slytherin end," Emma suggested.

Severus chuckled, "As you wish."

They went to the back of the train, and of course, it was just as green as he remembered. He touched a seat close to the window.

"Lucius and I sat here often," He explained. "I think if I didn't have his friendship, I would have been more emotionally disturbed. I know you don't like him, but I owe him so much."

"Did I ever say that?"  
"No, but--"  
"I'm not my twin."

He laughed, "Forgive me. You do look almost identical. We will get her out of that hell hole."

"I know. I'm prepared."  
"Good."  
"But first, let's get off this train."  
"Agreed."

He took her hand in his, and used his free hand to brush the small of her back as they disembarked from the train, and weaved through the crowds of King's Cross Station. When they spotted Lucius's chauffeur, and got into the black Lincoln limousine that awaited them, he began to focus on the mission, and so did Emma as she wiped all emotion from her face as the city fell behind them, and the rolling hills of the English countryside began....


	18. Into The Snake Pit

Hermione

The shackles bit deep into the bushy haired brunette witch's wrists as she tried to move a few inches in the cell she was being kept in. A trickle of blood fell from her right wrist. How many days had it been since they were captured? She tried to wrap her head around when that was, but things like time and dates escaped her lately. Luna, it turned out, was a prisoner as well, but she was faring better because of her blood status, and Hermione suspected, because Draco refused to let his girlfriend suffer at Bellatrix's hands.

The cellar was relatively dry, but dusty, and she was kept chained up all day. She had long since had her wand confiscated from her, but she had heard that her doppelganger was going to be arriving at Malfoy Manor for Thanksgiving from Draco, and that she would be arriving with Professor Snape.

"Psst," Hermione heard a whisper. It was Ron's voice. "Mione,' psst, you there?"

Ron was in the next cell over, and Ollivander next to Luna's cell. But strangely enough, the old wand maker was treated more cruelly than Luna, and was beaten regularly by Voldemort.

Hermione dared not touch her bars, she figured out early on that they had been enchanted with a stinging hex to shock and swell your face up if so much as a pinky touched the iron bars of your cell. She smelled a faint smell of wine, so they couldn't be far away from the Malfoy wine cellar.

"Psst!"

"I'm here, Ron," Hermione whispered. "Have you heard from Harry?"

Ron sighed heavily, "No, but he looks...well, bad off. I can't believe your twin would let that snarky git touch her...like _that_. You think she's gonna have kids with him?"

Despite herself, Hermione laughed, but it came out like a croak, "Well, if she does, I'm sure it would be very planned out between the two of them. I'm just surprised that Draco is able to sneak down here and feed us information. You think your sister or whoever she is, would help us?"

"I don't know," Hermione said, at a genuine loss. "I know I would in her shoes, but if Snape's really one of _them_ she would have to fight him off as well, and that would be hard if she loves him."

Ron shuffled his feet. "Yeah, I guess so. So, you and Harry...Do you love him?"

"Yes."  
"But that snatcher guy--"

"I did what I had to do to keep him from killing me!" She snapped. "I didn't expect you to judge me, Ronald."

Ron sighed, "I'm not. Harry was just pretty hurt by what happened. What do I tell him?"

Hermione began to cry, "I...Tell him I'm very sorry. But he would have killed me otherwise. You don't have to tell Harry that my captor nearly choked me, but please, _please_ tell Harry that I love him. Will you do that for me, Ron?"

A few moments of silence passed before Ron said, "Yeah, I'll tell him. I just hope this chick is on our side, not the deatheaters."

"Me too, Ron. Me too..."

💚🐍💚

Time passed slowly, much too slowly, and Hermione shuffled her feet to lie down on her thin cot. She went to sleep, and had the nightmare again of what would have happened if she fought Scabior in his tent. But she didn't fight him, not in reality. No, she just sucked it up, and let him sleep with her...twice! The first time hurt, at first, but the second time she pictured Harry inside her, driving her body crazy as he thrust in and out of her.

But in her dreams she fought, and somehow, the face of her lover dissolved from the ruggedly handsome face of Scabior to Harry, and Harry was raping her violently...over and over again. Hermione's eyes flew open in the dark, and she was bathed in a thick sheen of sweat. She was screaming.

"Quiet, girl!" Wormtail hissed, as he came to the bars with their usual trays of gruel. "The Dark Lord is above, and he don't take well to noises down here."

"Well, maybe we'd be quiet if you gave us shit to do," Ron grumbled. "Like, I dunno, gave us books or a chess set, or something."

Ron yelped when Wormtail shot sparks out of his wand. Wormtail left, and Luna asked, "Are you okay, Hermione?"

"I'm fine, I just had a nightmare."  
"About that Scabior guy?"  
"Yeah."  
"He must have been so awful."

Hermione thought back on her captivity, and while Harry and Ron were beaten up within an inch of their lives, she was actually treated a lot better by Scabior than Bellatrix by far. At least, Scabior didn't use the Cruciatus Curse on her, or fed her gruel. _But he also used you for his own personal fuck doll,_ She reminded herself. _Think about it you had refused him._

She tried to eat her gruel, and sniffed it. Her stomach rolled, and she yanked on her chains to lift up the lid of the toilet to puke. A month, yes, that had been how long she had been in captivity in both camps, the snatchers, and deatheaters.

She finished puking, and wiping at her lips with her ragged sleeve. She heard the creak of the cellar door opening, and then Wormtail coming down the stairs with his shuffling heavy feet.

He stopped in front of her cell, and looked her up and down. "Yeah, you'll do," Wormtail grunted. "No need why you need to look all dolled up for the higher ups."

There was a click of the lock unlocking. He unlocked her shackles, and pointed his wand at her wrists, " _Incarcerous_."

Handcuffs appeared on her wrists, and he shoved her to move forward. "Where are you taking me?"

"To prove to the boss's crazy bitch that you've been in your cell this whole time," Wormtail explained. "Now, move your ass."

"Bite me, traitor."

He roughly squeezed her cheeks together, and flashed her a manic grin, "Don't tempt me, mudblood. Now, move!"

Hermione shuffled forward and up the stairs. As Wormtail led her into the nicer parts of the mansion, Hermione got the true scope of the Malfoy's wealth. Old money, prestige, elegance, that was what the house and all of its decorations screamed out to her. Wormtail shoved her to two huge double doors, and like all of the mansion, it was designed in the French Rococo design, save for the darker design aspects where it leant itself to some gothic touches. The effect was that this was a home that was very darkly elegant, and the owners had a lot of taste, and love of the arts.

She smelled delicious food, and her stomach growled. Wormtail yanked on her handcuffs, which made her already sore wrists ache something terrible. _Asshole probably knows it too, so just keep your cool. This is a deatheater dinner party, after all._

The double doors opened, and there was a rather large group of people. Draco sat next to Luna, Mr and Mrs Malfoy on the same side. Then there was Bellatrix, who sat next to Voldemort, and on the other side of the table sat Snape, and an older, very polished and beautiful version of herself sitting next to him. Hermione saw their rings, and it was clear by their body language that they were happily married.

Voldemort sneered, but his hostility wasn't directed to her, thank goodness. His red eyes pierced his minion coldly as he said calmly, "Does this satisfy you, Bella? Clearly, you were subject to your delusions. Miss Granger has been under our custody for some time."

Bellatrix pointed a finger in Mrs Snape's direction, "I'm telling you, my Lord, that this bitch has been deceiving us, and cast a copycat spell, or something!"

"Well, _Helen,"_ Her twin said derisively, "I was just about to tie into my stuffing, but I suppose you have ruined that."

Snape cleared his throat, "Bella, clearly you can tell the difference between my wife, and Miss Granger."

"Don't get in the middle of this, Sevvy," Bellatrix growled. "She's been calling me the wrong name all through dinner! I want it stopped!"

Voldemort sighed, "Bellatrix, must I restrain you in your room again? The debate has been settled, and if you cannot behave, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to have you play with Nagini."

Bellatrix began to whine, "P-Please my Lord. Not that, _anything_ but that! She plays too rough!"

Bellatrix rolled up the sleeves of her black dress, and sure enough there were bite marks. Voldemort glared at her. "SILENCE! You have been nothing but an annoyance all through this dinner, Bella. You will go to your room, and await myself and your husband and his twin brother. You know what to do."

Snape whispered something in his wife's ear. "...Ew, that's pretty much illegal everywhere, Severus," She whispered back.

Snape smirked, and shrugged his shoulders, "Try telling him that."

"No, thanks."

"Wormtail!" Voldemort shouted.

Wormtail shivered, and lowered his beady rat eyes to the ground. "Y-Yes, master?"

"Take the mudblood back to her cell," Voldemort ordered, his voice deceptively calm. "And the next time I summon her, I expect her to be properly cleaned, and dressed to receive company. Does that satisfy you, Emma?"

"It is a start," Emma said, narrowing her eyes at Voldemort. Hermione was bowled over by her bravery. "As long as you do not kill my sister, I will be fine with whatever you have planned."

Voldemort smirked, "Ah. But have no fear on that account. It is Harry Potter I have always been after. The deaths of his associates you could call collateral damage."

Emma sipped her water, and replied, "I see. But apart from the prophecy, which was made by a crackpot Seer, by the way, I cannot help but point out that besides being able to summon a fully formed patronus, he has mediocre powers at best, and half of them through the killing curse rebounding that night at Godric's Hollow."

"And yet, it proved true."

"Has it? Any deatheater could march themselves downstairs and kill him and the Weasely boy, quite easily," Emma argued. "And no, I do not mean simply with a wand."

"Ah," Voldemort smiled, a genuine one. "But let's continue this play of devil's advocate. Place yourself in my shoes. What would you have done?"

"Shoot the one year old Potter point blank range in the head," Emma said coldly. "Preferably a caliber with some kick, and empty the magazine clip to make sure. Lily Potter was a mudblood anyway, and wouldn't step aside, and James Potter was a pushover, and a blood traitor. Perhaps I speak with some bias, but his friends were not adequately punished for their...youthful folly, you might say? Surely, you know other torture curses that are no longer listed as Unforgivable?"

Hermione couldn't take it any more, "You hateful bitch! I--"

" _Langlock_!" Emma cast with her wand. She rose and looked her over. Emma spoke in her mind, " _Easy, Hermione. There is a plan. Keep your mouth shut, but your ears open."_

Hermione understood, and so she kept silent when Emma removed the jinx. Hermione was roughly taken downstairs to the cellar, and back to her prison cell. She felt odd, almost displaced, because she had met her doppleganger, her twin. But she wasn't alone in her cell, because Harry was with her, and they were given two cots to sleep on.

Harry looked up when he saw her, and they both embraced tightly. Harry was kissing her passionately, almost roughly. But still, she felt bad, because of what she did in Scabior's tent. They broke the kiss for air, and Harry looked at her with concern written all over his face.

"Harry, can we talk about the snatcher camp?" She asked, sitting down on her cot.

Harry sat next to her, and took her hand in his. "Hermione, whatever it is, it's okay. You can tell me."

She did, and her reasons for not fighting her captor off. Harry, in all honesty, took it rather well, all things concerned. Harry said, "Mione,' it was survival, nothing more. Did you...kind of enjoy it?"

Hermione nodded, feeling so ashamed, "I'm _so_ sorry Harry. He was just really, well, experienced," She blushed. "But I thought of you the entire time, I swear!"

Harry nodded. "It's okay, babe. Really, it is. What was your doppelganger like?"

Hermione shivered. "A really good actress. She literally played devil's advocate with Voldemort himself! I'm not sure if she's a Gryffindor, honestly. She's also very pretty, and has a better fashion sense than I ever will."

"Was Snape weird with her?"

"Harry, he's her husband, what do you think?" Hermione asked. "How are they treating you?"

Harry pointed at his right black eye. "How do you think? Sorry, I'm sorry to react like that. But I'm basically a punching bag to the deatheaters. Draco doesn't want to hit me, but he's forced to, and he's been slapped around when he has refused. Mr Malfoy is forced to cane me, and Bellatrix...." Harry trailed off, shuddering in disgust. "Let's just say that I had to perform in public on most of the muggle girls and boys brought in. But I hate every minute of it, I swear."

"I know," Hermione teared up. "Thank you, for understanding, Harry."

Harry lifted her chin to meet his eyes. "Babe, we're going to get through this. Do you hear me?"

Hermione nodded her head. "Yes. I have to believe things will get better. I love you so much, Harry."

Harry kissed her softly, gently exploring her mouth with his tongue. "I love you too, Hermione. So much. W-Would you be with only me if I asked you?"

Hermione's eyes went wide. "H-Harry? B-But what about the war? Everything?"

Harry chuckled, "Do you really need more time, Hermione? We have known each other for nearly seven years, babe. I know that I love you, and I don't want any other witch. I am yours, babe."

Hermione cried happy tears. "Oh, Harry. Yes, yes, yes! I will, of course, marry you."

Harry was crying happy tears as well, and kissing her as he had never kissed her before. He laid her down on one of the cots, and snuggled her close as they soon fell asleep, and waited for the plan to unfold around them....


	19. A Strange, Sexy Dinner

Emma

Malfoy Manor appeared as if in a dream before my eyes. With Hogwarts, it was on a grander scale, my sense of dream-like dejavu, but seeing Malfoy Manor, and it not being a movie set With a film crew just off in the distance, and green screen everywhere...yes, if I didn't believe that I wasn't in the wizarding world then, I surely was now.

Severus and I walked hand in hand as we disembarked from the limousine, and up the stone steps that led to the front door. Severus knocked on the door, and a house elf, dressed in a filthy wash cloth, opened the door.

" _Why are the house elves dressed so shabbily?"_ I mentally asked Severus.

" _Dark Lord's orders_ ," He explained. " _They wore fine miniature maids and Butler uniforms before he decided to freeload off of Lucius's so called generosity."_

_"Ah. That makes sense."_   
_"Are you ready to act again?"_   
_"Of course. Lead the way."_

"Ah, Lord and Lady Snape," The house elf butler announced. "Do come in. Mistress Malfoy is in the drawing room, and would receive you. Lord Snape, you are expected in the study with Master Malfoy."

Severus kissed me softly. "Duty calls. I will see you at dinner."

I smiled, "Obviously. I'm looking forward to it." _("Particularly if they seat us side by side, and you happened to take a taste of your dessert before the evening's end_.)

 _("And no doubt such sweetness will put even the pumpkin pie to shame. Consider it done.")_ "As am I," He added aloud, his black eyes smoldering for me.

The house elf waited for me, and he led me to the drawing room where Narcissa Malfoy was sitting down to high tea. She wore a lovely tailored dark green suit, and her long blonde hair pulled up into a French bun.

She was reading the latest Daily Prophet, but she set it aside, and looked up at me. She did not smile, but I could see a begrudging approval in her blue eyes.

"You must be Emma," She said in her clipped, cultured British accent. "Please sit. My sister Bellatrix is running late, and so we will start without her."

I sat, and poured my own tea. I sipped it, and it was a sweet Jasmine tea. "This is a very good tea," I complimented. "I almost expected Earl Grey."

Narcissa chuckled, "Gods forbid no, I cannot stomach that bile. My husband and I have developed quite the fondness for Oriental teas."

"Well, thank Merlin for that," I commented. "You have a lovely home, Mrs--"

"Narcissa, dear," Narcissa cut me off, sipping her tea. "I insist. My husband and yours are cousins after all, making us all one big family. Now, tell me, Emma, since I know of your story somewhat from my son, what exactly is an actress of the muggle variety? The wizarding world has no celebrities on the scale he mentioned."

I recalled how I started acting ever since I was ten years old, and how I became famous. Narcissa never interrupted once, especially when I spoke about being mobbed by the paparazzi. "...Not many of my past boyfriends could understand just how little of a private life I actually had. But after my incident, and somehow becoming a witch, I found this a nice change of pace by comparison," I finished.

Narcissa nodded in sympathy. "Sadly, I can relate. As a Black, and then a Malfoy, my life has always been in the public eye. Especially, with the Prophet still casting aspirations on my husband's character."

"The media doesn't exactly like Severus either," I admitted. "Oh yes, and Rita Skeeter was most aggrieved when she could find nothing on me, besides the fact that I resemble Harry Potter's best friend Hermione Granger."

Narcissa sighed sadly, "My sister Bella...well, she will not take your presence here well. She is unstable, crazy even, but even so, it was quite the disgrace when her and her husband Rodolphus were sent to Azkaban. He is dead now, but...well, the Dark Lord keeps him around in the guest house for her to...um, you know."

I set my cup of tea aside, suddenly not hungry in the slightest. "That's just...disgusting, and highly, well, illegal. Please tell me the Dark Lord doesn't...you know, with him?"

Narcissa shuddered, and nodded.

"Alrighty then, _waay_ more than I wanted to know," I commented.

Narcissa laughed, and I laughed with her. "I see it now," She said. "What Severus sees in you."

I rose an eyebrow. "You do? I'm not following."

She held my hand across the table. "You are intelligent, charismatic, and shrewd. All very good qualities for a Slytherin wizard to have in a wife. Plus, I'm certain that you amuse one another greatly. He can be quite funny when he wants to be," Narcissa blushed, "I...I'm sorry. I'm happy for you both, but I cannot but wonder what could have been if my father had not forced me to honor my betrothal to Lucius."

I shook my head. "What's done is done, and there is no use musing over it now."

Narcissa nodded her head. "True. I think we are better off as friends. But I am truly happy for you two, and that Severus finally can love someone, truly love someone."

"Thank you."  
"You're welcome."

We ate a bit of the macaroons and crumpets at the table, and Narcissa looked over my suit. "I do not recognize the designer of your suit. What is it?"

"Chanel," I answered. "I normally don't wear her suits, but I had this tailored in store, so it certainly looked better once it was altered for me. And before you ask, no, Coco Chanel was a muggle fashion designer, not a witch one."

Narcissa shrugged. "It's alright. I don't tell Lucius this but some of his suits are Armani, but tailored as wizard robes. I quite like Dolce Gabana myself for some things myself."

We shared a laugh over that, and talked fashion a bit until the house elves announced that dinner was ready in the dining room. Narcissa escorted me to the dining room, and sitting in the formal dining room, dressed in an all black tailored suit sat Voldemort himself, talking with Lucius, Severus, and Bellatrix.

Severus rose and went to my side. Bellatrix eyed me as if she couldn't believe her eyes. Bellatrix sat on the right hand side of Voldemort, while Lucius and Narcissa sat together. Draco soon arrived with Luna Lovegood, and she wore a lovely silver gown that showed off that she did have a figure underneath her school uniform.

Voldemort's crimson red eyes examined me closely, and he tried to scan my mind, but soon discovered that he could not.

"Intriguing," Voldemort said, pleased. "I can read everyone's mind here but yours and Severus's. You taught her well, Severus. I congratulate you."

Severus nodded. "Indeed, my Lord. I apologize for being remiss in introducing you to my wife, Emma."

Bellatrix cackled, "Hell has truly frozen over, my Lord. I never thought I would see the day when Sevvy got over that red headed tart he was going on and on about in school."

I laughed, "Oh my, _Helen_. Such jealousy from you. Why, is Rodolphus not enough for you? Or...maybe his brother Rabastan?"

"You're on thin ice, bitch," Bellatrix grumbled, "I should--"

"You will eat your dinner in peace, Bella," Voldemort hissed. "It is Thanksgiving, after all."

Dinner was brought out, and I did not move to drink any of the wine that was presented. Lucius did not comment on it, and Severus winked at me, and mouthed, 'He knows, I told him.'

I nodded my head imperceptibly. He nodded back in the same way. The food was delicious, of course, but halfway through the second course as the wizards spoke of business on their side of the war, I felt Severus's fingers run up my skirt.

" _Don't make a sound, but I am finding this party as dull as you no doubt find it,"_ He explained, his voice a sexy purr in my head, " _I want so badly to taste your sweetness, lioness."_

 _"Fair is fair,"_ I replied, and used my free hand to make it seem like I was holding his hand under the table.

I stroked the front of his dress slacks, and Severus stiffened, his jaw ticking as he moved his hand further up my inner thighs. I parted my legs, and he palmed my satin covered mons slowly, torturing me with his fingers as he used his fingers to push aside the thin fabric, and stroke my labia folds with greater intensity as his fingers traveled further between my folds.

I pressed my lips tightly to bite back a moan as he knew exactly how much I loved it when he went slowly in an explorative sort of manner. I rubbed the front of his pants with greater speed, really picking up the friction. All the while, Severus and I managed to carry on dinner conversations around the table, while inside, I wanted him inside of me...like yesterday.

Severus moved subtly and slowly unzipped his pants, and I freed his cock so I could stroke it easier. I stroked him in earnest then, and I felt him thrust his fingers inside me almost roughly. I leaned forward slightly to ride his fingers as much as I could without it being obvious.

" _I...I'm close,"_ I stammered mentally.

Severus smirked at me, winking. " _You are not to cum at the table, lioness. Wait for my lead. Do you understand?"_

_"Y--Yes. Please, Severus."_   
_"Soon, love."_

He circled his thumb around my rapidly swelling clit, and when there was a lull in the conversation, Severus cleared his throat, tucking away his member, and zipping up his pants.

"Might Emma and I take the air a bit, my Lord?" Severus asked, the picture of perfect stoicism. "I am quite aware of what my duties are as it pertains to Hogwarts. She wishes to see the gardens."

Hot damn, he was a good actor, probably the best I had ever come across.

Voldemort smirked almost knowingly, "Of course, Severus. But we are circling back to what I expect out of the Carrow twins in the latter part of the semester. Don't be long for your...walk."

"Of course, my Lord."  
"Very well, carry on..."

💚🐍💚

Bellatrix glared at us, and as soon as we left the dining room, she began screeching about the lost sword of Gryffindor, and Hermione Granger. Severus led me up the grand staircase to our bedroom, and as soon as he locked the door behind him, and put up strong silencing charms, he pushed me on to the bed, and practically ripped my panties off of me.

He unzipped his pants, and slipped down his briefs to free his cock. "Legs spread, now," He ordered.

I obeyed, spreading them, "Do I get to cum?"

Severus entered me in one rough thrust. "Yes. Scream for me, lioness. I want my name to be the only one on your lips forever."

"Likewise," I panted, moving my hips against his. "No witch's name but mine falls from your lips."

Severus grinned, wrapping my leg high around his waist. "As my Princess commands."

I wrapped my other leg around him, loving this new rough play between us as we fucked. I grabbed his ass as he thrust roughly inside of me over and over again, kissing me just as roughly. We were both close as we built up a lovely, delicious friction between us as he took me hard, partially clothed in our suits.

I cried out his name as I felt my inner walls clamp down on his cock. Severus soon followed me as he thrust into me a few more times before he gasped, my name like a prayer on his lips as always, as if in that moment I was his goddess he worshipped with his body, and his offering was his seed filling me with his warmth once again.

Severus trembled against me, and whispered, "I love you, my angel."

"I love you too, my angel."

Severus kissed me softly. He groaned, "We have to get back downstairs, we will be missed soon."

I checked my watch. Twenty minutes had passed, surely long enough for a good lengthy walk in the gardens, since they were huge.

"Pity. I was hoping to go for round two," I teased.

Severus laughed, "Good gracious, my wife is a nymphomaniac."

I kissed him lightly. "When it comes to you, absolutely. But then again, it could be the mommy hormones talking. I wouldn't know, I've never been knocked up before. I've always been the careful, responsible lover."

Severus got off of me, and cleaned himself up magically. He looked presentable again. I got up, and did the same treatment to myself, and fixed my makeup and hair.

"Good. Now it doesn't look like you rode me harder than a bull at a rodeo," I commented, looking myself over in the dresser mirror.

Severus hugged me from behind, and kissed my temple. "Are you ready for tonight?"

I checked my gun, and the extra rounds for it. "Yes. I'm not leaving this house without my twin sister. Draco and Luna are already a part of the plan. They will provide a distraction for us to free the prisoners, and hopefully, Abeforth Dumbledore sends in Dobby to help them out."

Severus nodded. "Good. You are going to use the floo network to escape, as I don't want to risk you apparating in your condition."

"Understood."  
"I love you."  
"I love you too."

Severus nodded.

I nodded back, understanding why he wanted to make love to me, however briefly; it was because we were heading into a battle, and if either one of us were killed, he wanted a beautiful memory to take with him into death...

💚🐍💚

We went downstairs, and were met by Scabior, one of the snatcher deatheaters. After explaining that I wasn't Hermione, he said that he would help us free her.

"Can I ask why you would free her? You barely know her," I pointed out.

Scabior blushed, and sheepishly looked at his scuffed up boots, not wanting to meet my eyes. "Beggin' yer ladyships pardon, but I um...I _like_ her, alright? Like more than I thought I would, and I just don't think that idiot boy should be with her. Neither of those idiot boys, really. Please let me help out."

Severus sighed, "Very well. But if you betray us to the Dark Lord, I will personally kill you."

Scabior agreed, "Sure thing, yer Lordship. You can count on me."

"We shall see," Severus quipped, leaving Scabior where he stood. The snatcher nodded to me, and I nodded back.

Bellatrix was throwing a fit by the time we arrived in the dining room, and Voldemort was reaching the limits of his patience. We entered, and sat down to dinner, but when Hermione was summoned, and I looked at my doppleganger that was when I knew that I had to play devil's advocate to charm Voldemort, and calm him down, or the plan would be over before it had already begun....


	20. The Plan Takes Shape

Hermione

After being dragged away by Wormtail to the cellar, he threw Hermione unceremoniously into her prison cell.

Ron was crying in his cell, and she whispered to him, "Ron! Psst! Ron, are you okay?"

Ron sniffled, "Mione'? Is that you?"

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"Harry, he...they took him again, Mione,' and just brought him back in my cell," Ron cried. "He's...he's hurt bad. Did you meet Snape's girl?"

"Yeah, she's," She sighed, and felt sick all of a sudden. "She looks like if someone did a makeover on me, and gave me a trim build, great nails, and hair that didn't frizz every five seconds. Snape looked very happy with her. It was...weird, seeing him so relaxed."

Ron sniffed, and seemed to relax. "I'll bet. You think that anyone will come for us? Y'know, from the Order?"

"I hope so, I..."

She rushed to the toilet just in time to puke in it. She found it odd that she was sick from the gruel, but ever since she was brought here to this snake pit, she had been frequently sick, particularly in the mornings. She wondered when she had her period last, and then it hit her....she was quite possibly pregnant. The only wizard she slept with was that cute snatcher guy, and they certainly used no protection to prevent any pregnancies from happening.

She had no wand on her to check for certain if she was, indeed, carrying Scabior's child, but no period, and these frequent bouts of nausea, especially in the mornings, made her suspect that that was the case. She collapsed on to her bed, and sobbed into her thin pillow for the longest time. Why? Why did she have to be carrying a child she didn't want, or plan? She was supposed to be with Harry! She planned it all out in her mind a long time ago.

She felt like she had betrayed him in a very real way. Hermione paced about her cell, angry at herself. _You don't know for sure if you're pregnant,_ She reasoned. _You will know for sure when you can perform the medicis spell._ She felt better about her situation. Yes, there was a chance that she was simply sick, and this was all in her head.

She went to her bed, and slept on her thin cot. During the night, she heard gun shots, and curses being cast above the stairs. She heard the clinking of keys in her lock. She curled herself in a ball, so as to keep Wormtail from touching her as much of her body as possible.

She felt a gentle shaking, and her eyelids fluttered open. It was Luna, and she was wearing her silver dress, and she said to Draco, "I think she's going into some kind of shock, I can't move her."

Hermione felt sick, and puked on the floor. Draco felt her forehead. "Lune, she's not feverish. You don't think she's...like Emma, do you?"

Luna wiped at Hermione's face with a cool cloth. " _Medicis_ ," She cast. "Yes, she definitely is. I suppose we have to bring that snatcher wizard with us. Harry won't like this. She has been this way for a month, so Emma has her beat by a month."

"Great, so they both can't apparate," Draco grumbled. " _Stupefy_."

Hermione vaguely saw Draco's concerned face as her eyelids shut, and she knew no more for hours...

💚🐍💚

Draco

He picked up Granger bridal style, as Luna freed Weasel and Potter. He didn't want to have to knock her unconscious, but she was too weak to fight. Luna found Granger's personal effects, and her vine wrapped wand.

Emma was dueling Bellatrix alongside his mother. He had never really seen his mother fight before, but Emma was deadly with a firearm. She shot deatheaters in the head, heart, or through their stomach. He had never seen a muggle firearm blow apart whole brains before in real life. In a movie, it was fake you knew, but these were human beings being utterly torn apart by metal and lead projectiles.

She also had no emotions on her face, and she looked like any deatheater in that moment as she fought. His godfather fought with that same cold blooded ruthlessness, beside his father and that snatcher guy. He couldn't remember what his name was for the life of him.

Nagini tried to strike at Emma, but she quickly reloaded a magazine clip, and shot her four times in the head. Voldemort screamed in rage, and agonizing pain.

"YOU BITCH!! YOU WILL PAY FOR THISSS!" Voldemort screamed.

He fired a killing curse at her, but his Uncle deflected it away from her, and he said coldly, "Not _my_ wife, you megalomaniac psychopath! Consider this my resignation."

His Uncle did a complex twirl with his ebony wand, and Voldemort didn't just slice into pieces, but tore in half. It was if someone had taken an axe and hacked him to pieces.

Harry Potter screamed in agonizing pain, and his stomach, and intestines fell apart on the polished black marble floors of the mansion. Harry Potter's breathing came in ragged gasps as he tried to breathe. But to no avail, he was dying. Then Potter's emerald green eyes became glassy, and Potter coughed up a goblet full of blood, and he breathed his last. His green eyes saw nothing, and was dead.

"HARRY! HARRY, NOOOO!!" Ron Weasely screamed, cradling his best friend's head in his lap.

"He's gone, lad," The snatcher guy soothed. "You ain't doing him any favors holdin' on to him like that."

Weasel rounded on him. "He was like my brother, snatcher scum!"

Emma picked up Weasel by the scruff of his shirt. "I suppose you want to die like him too, Ronald?! Leave him, he's gone!" She slapped him across the face. "Ronald Weasely, I'm only going to tell you this once: you need to grow the fuck up. This is _war_ , and you are either going to fight for your life, or die. Your choice, soldier."

More deatheaters were trying to surround them, but an odd, fatalistic resolve washed over Ron Weasely then, and he shook his head. "Get Hermione out of here," Weasel said, his voice deadly calm. "Tell my family I held them off."

"You sure, lad?" Snatcher guy asked. "You're talkin' like a soldier who wants to die. This is the worst place to be."

Ron Weasely nodded. "Yeah. Can you promise me one thing? Take care of Hermione. She's like a sister to me."

Snatcher nodded. "Aye, lad. I can promise that. I'll protect her with my own life."

Weasel turned to Draco, and said, "Take care of Luna, will you?"

"I will," He promised, meaning it.

"Go," Weasel said calmly, drawing his wand. "Now, while you can."

His Uncle led the way into the floo network, and Draco was just in time to see Ronald Weasely face down a huge group of masked deatheaters as he defended his best friend's dead body before the green flames made his body spin, and he landed in the Headmaster office of Hogwarts....


	21. Regrouping

Emma

We all seemed to be stunned by what happened at Malfoy Manor. Dobby had arrived earlier in the evening and apparated Ollivander, and Griphook the goblin, and no one seemed to know if they arrived at the Order safe house or not in the heat of the battle. I only know that the battle began just before midnight when Dobby, the house elf showed up and apparated Ollivander and the goblin out of danger.

My brain went into a sort of combat mode, and I acted on instinct when Voldemort ordered our deaths. I don't know if my unborn child gave me the strength, or power, but I didn't care what happened so long as Hermione Granger was safely behind the many magical protective barriers of Hogwarts Castle.

" _Medicis_ ," I cast over my prone, unconscious twin. Scabior looked at the floor, sheepishly. Why the snatcher couldn't look at me, I had no idea, but he seemed either shy or intimidated by me, which was weird since he was a deatheater, albeit a low ranking one. Hermione's medical chart hovered in mid air, and I ended the spell.

Severus glared at the snatcher, but his voice was deceptively civil, "Apparently, congratulations are in order for you, Scabior. You must be bursting with joy at your forthcoming fatherhood."

Scabior's eyes were as wide as saucers. "Me, Lordship? I--I--There must be some mistake in all that medical jargon. I ain't the fatherly type."

Daniel sneered, "Oh? And are you going to just leave her? There is a word for that in muggle jargon, and it's called 'dead beat.' I have four cousins that that happened to. My Uncle Rick went out for a pack of cigarettes at the hospital, and never came back. The bastard got off scot-free in not paying a pound of child support, and all because Scotland Yard couldn't find him. You will _not_ put Hermione through that."

"I won't, I promise," Scabior promised. Daniel's blue eyes studied the snatcher intensely before relaxing.

Daniel winked at me, "You can relax, Em's. He's on the level here. But you've got that look that shit went down earlier. What is it?"

Draco cleared his throat. "Potter is dead. My Uncle killed the Dark Lord, and the curse that linked them tore them both apart. Where is my twin?"

"With the Greengrass twins in the Head Student dorm," Daniel replied, his lips curved in mild amusement. "I'm not sure which of them, they look alike, after all. I don't know if he's there now, but he was there the last I got a text from him."

Draco chuckled, "O-Okay, I guess me and Tom aren't so different after all."

Luna chuckled, "Yes, but you will be expending that experience on me alone, I believe, my star Prince."

Draco smiled, kissing his girlfriend's cheek. "Of course, my Lune. I'm just ribbing my twin at his expense."

Narcissa cleared her throat. "I would very much like to meet this twin of yours, son. How much does he look like me or your father?"

I reached into my wallet, and got out a picture of Tom and me laughing during a dance practice during Yule Ball in the Great Hall. I handed it to her, and said, "Tom has light brown hair, but he has your eye color, 'Cissa. I'm sure he would be willing to dye his hair blonde if he is going to be staying in the wizarding world, that is."

I looked down at Hermione's unconscious body. Severus was giving her health potions, and healing what injuries she sustained during her imprisonment at Bellatrix's hands. Scabior smoothed back Hermione's hair gently, and then saw the word Mudblood cut into her right forearm.

He glared at it, "I'm going to kill that bitch personally for doing this to her."

I rubbed my thumb across the hateful letters. "May I speak with you about her?" I asked.

Scabior nodded. "Severus, do you have a potion for the morning rumbly tumblies?"

My husband smirked, and handed me a vial with red liquid in it. "Drink it all," He instructed. "I must needs make more for you two within the coming months, I believe."

"Hey, you're at fault too."  
"Touche."

I chuckled, and led Scabior outside the office, and into the corridor beyond where it was quiet and strangely peaceful at this late hour.

Scabior looked around the school, and paced. "I ain't been in this school since I graduated my seventh year, an' take care of my mum."

I unstoppered the lid of my potion, and drained it dry. I tucked the empty vial in my drawstring purse. I winced at the taste.

"What's that for?"

"So I don't get morning sickness," I explained. "My due date is a month before Hermione's give or take a few weeks. It's ironic, really. My career left me no time to have a family, and yet the night I forget to insist my guy wear a condom I get pregnant."

Scabior grinned, smoothly out his unruly dark brown hair. "You um..you two look so much alike in a different light. I'm just...I'm a bit shy of ye, an' I think it takes a certain witch to turn the Dark Lord's favorite Potions Master's head. You were awesome back at the Manor."

I nodded. "Thank you, Scabior, that's very sweet of you. But could you love my sister? Like, truly? She's carrying your baby."

Scabior said nothing for a long time, and took a deep breath, "Yes, yes, I could. Before, me an' my group took wanted witches and wizards to the Ministry, that was just steady feed coming our way. What they did with em' after we handed em' over was their business. No harm, no foul. But I saw...nah, you're gonna think I'm nuts."

"Try me. I've heard some weird stories in my time," I encouraged.

Scabior smirked. "When I saw yer twin, I thought I was seein' an angel. Like, I had never seen a more beautiful young girl in my life, and I've had my share of beauties, and some ugly skanks too when times got desperate, I ain't gonna lie. An' when we made love. Yeah, I ain't never done that before, _never_. Nah, I made love to her like I was savin' myself for her. I saw--"

"An energy of light glow about your bodies, and dissolving into your skin?" I asked.

Scabior blushed. "Yeah, like from the second I finished in her. What's that mean? It's never happened before at any time I've hooked up."

I patted his hands. "It means that you bonded to one another. She is your wife...not officially, you still have to sign the license, but you just have to exchange rings to claim one another."

Scabior shifted his feet, and blushed, smiling boyishly, "C-Can it be any ring? It don't have to be fancy an' pretty like yours is?"

I looked at my bridal set, and shook my head. "Of course not. I think it just has to have sentimental value to you in some way."

Scabior took out a necklace, and there were two silver Celtic knot rings. One of them had a Clauddagh on it with an aquamarine stone in the center. "My mum gave me her Clauddagh," He explained. "My dad's ring, well...I had to steal it off of his dead hand after I found em' in an alleyway behind a dive bar after I tracked him down after the Trace expired off of me."

"That's horrible."

"He was a sack o' shit," Scabior growled. "Point is, I've got rings. I promised my mum that I'd find a good witch one day worthy of her ring. I know it's my angel."

I saw Tom come this way, and he paused to look at us. He took in my disheveled appearance, and he ran to me. "Ems! What the hell happened at Malfoy Manor?! You look like you were mobbed by the paparazzi."

I laughed. "Tom, this is Scabior. I'm sorry, I don't know his last name."

"O'Donnell. I'm Half Irish, half Brit," Scabior informed us. "I'm also a halfblood. He looks like Lord Malfoy's kid."

"I'm Tom," Tom introduced himself. "I guess I'm Draco's twin. Now, which of you are going to tell me what happened?"

We explained on the way back to the office, and we rejoined everyone, but apparently, Hermione had been told that Harry Potter was dead, and she was screaming at my husband that he was a murderer."

Scabior restrained his soon to be wife, and she glared at me when she looked me over. "You're just as much of a monster as Professor Snape," Hermione snapped. "They've been telling me that you helped get everyone else out of the Manor."

"Your sissy fought bravely, babe," Scabior explained. "An' the Weasely boy bought us precious time to get everyone out of the big house in time through the floo network. Big boss is dead, but Snape didn't kill yer boyfriend, I swear."

Daniel approached Hermione, and he said, "I know I can't replace Harry Potter for you, Hermione, but I'm hoping some day we can be friends."

"Dan, what about your career?" I asked, shocked. "Do you really love Ginny Weasely that much?"

Daniel nodded. "I do, Emma. I'm happy for you and Snape, so can you do the same for me and Ginny?"

I hugged my best friend. "Oh, Dan! Of course, I'm happy for you!"

Tom laughed, "Hey, I'm just enjoying being free from that Tanya bitch I was with for three years. God, what a waste of time and money she was."

I hugged him, and he hugged me back. I whispered the news of my pregnancy, and he said happily, "Oh wow, that's awesome, girl! I call dibs on godfather."

I kissed his cheek. "We'll see. In the meantime, I think we should all get some rest, and recover from the battle."

Severus quipped, "Agreed. Now, all of you, out of my office. We will continue this meeting tomorrow."

Scabior whispered something in Hermione's ear, and she blushed as she let him take her hand in his. The Malfoys hugged me, and when the office was all cleared out, Severus said, "Will you bathe with me before bed, lioness?"

"Absolutely, let's go."

Severus led me to the bathroom, and we took a long bubble bath where we just relaxed, and made out after a very long, tiring day. The coming days would be tedious and hard, but with the battle ahead to prepare for, we took all of the peaceful moments in between to refresh, and be with our dearest loved ones at the end, for who knew how long each of us had to express our deepest feelings to one another?


	22. A Sweet Reprieve

Hermione

She let Scabior lead her out to the gardens, and they said nothing to each other for a long time. Harry Potter, her best friend, her boyfriend, and would be husband was dead. Granted, Professor Snape did not kill Harry per se, but still, the sadness would not leave her. But ironically enough, she had no tears to shed as she kept touching her now occupied belly.

"I'm sorry, about your guy, you know," Scabior apologized, deciding to be the one to break the ice. "But I swear Snape didn't kill him. The Dark Lord was gonna kill your sister, and he defended her."

She knew that, logically. But still, she loved Harry, and probably a part of her always would. "Well, technically Emma's not my sister," She corrected him. "But I guess we have to be now officially, since we look like twins. She seems intense, though, very much like Professor Snape. Daniel and Tom seem nice though, but it is strange to see them look like Harry and Draco. I'm sorry, I'm rambling, and you've barely said anything."

Scabior kicked up some dirt with the toe of his right boot, and met her eyes. "Well, I...Normally, I ain't so tongue tied," He admitted, blushing slightly. " 'Course I've never had a witch carry my kid before either."

Hermione blushed, looking away from him, ashamed. "Oh. I guess I just kind of thought you had experience with this before."

Scabior shook his head. "Nope, first time. I'm usually good about casting the charm too, but with you....Forget it, you don't want to hear about it. You just lost yer boyfriend, an' all that."

Hermione suddenly felt deeply touched. He was shy! Of her, of all witches! She took his hand in hers. He had thick calluses on his palm, and despite his rather grungy look, she was attracted to him. She knew first hand that he had an amazing body, but it was more than that, he was not a bad person deep down. He raised her hand to brush a kiss to her knuckles.

"No, I'm sorry for assuming."

He laid a hand on her still flat stomach. "Do you want to keep it, beautiful? I'm not gonna judge you if you say no. We're like ships passin' in the night, and when I grabbed you in those woods, all I wanted was a reprieve from my long dry spell."

She stepped closer to him, and tucked a lock of his hair behind his ear. "I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. But there's been too much death, and I won't kill this innocent little one, just because of how I met his or her father."

Scabior caressed her cheek, his thumb tracing the outline of her lips. She trembled, feeling her heart speed up. "Then marry me, beautiful. I'm dead serious. I want to be in our kid's life, and not be like my dad. I wanna be better for him or her. Will you marry me, Hermione?"

Tears filled her eyes at his words. "I...We know so little about one another. Could you even love me?"

Scabior kissed her softly, and whispered, "I think I may already do, my angel. Marry me, beautiful. I know I'm not rich or nothin', but I want to raise this kid with you and be a family."

"Then...I say, yes," Hermione said, her heart beating a mile a minute. "Do you have a ring?"

He handed her a gorgeous aquamarine Clauddagh ring, with intricate Celtic knotwork engraved into the band. "It's...it's so beautiful," She teared up. "Oh, Scabior, it's... it's lovely."

Scabior smiled softly. "My mum wanted me to give this to the right witch. I promised her on her deathbed that I'd find her, and only her. Will you accept this ring, and my love as yer husband from this day forth an' all that?"

Hermione laughed, "Yes, I will accept it. I don't really know the words either off the top of my head."

He gently took her hand in his, and slid his mother's ring on her ring finger. The ring adjusted automatically to her size. He handed her a ring similar in design to his, only more masculine in design.

"Will you accept this ring, and my love Scabior...I'm sorry, I don't know your last name, from this night forward, till death do we part, and all that rot?" Hermione asked, forgetting all of the flowery words a Ministry official was supposed to say at a wizarding wedding.

"Yes, I will accept it," He said seriously, "And I vow to be there for you, and protect ye to my dyin' breath, my angel."

Hermione slipped his ring on his right ring finger, and Scabior plunged his fingers into her hair, and claimed her mouth, his tongue demanding and almost rough as little moans came from her. She kissed him back as she ran her hands up and down his back as they kissed passionately.

As their lips separated, they could feel the marriage enchantment seal themselves to each other. But they had to consummate it, or the marriage would not be recognized under wizarding law.

"We..." Hermione blushed, "We have to consummate this union to make this bond a legitimate marriage."

Scabior nodded. "I know. I've got just the place. Follow me."

They went back inside the castle, and Scabior walked along the corridors, and even jumped the last third step, proving that he did, indeed, go to school here once upon a time. He led her to the prefect bathroom, and she said the password, "Pine Fresh."

Scabior chuckled, "It was Freshening in my day."

The door opened, and he put up silencing charms against being disturbed. Hermione filled the huge swimming pool size bathtub, and suddenly felt nervous getting naked. She was still so dirty from her imprisonment, and she didn't want to be a disappointment to her...husband.

He stepped behind her, and kissed her temple softly. "May I?"

"I...I guess so," She stammered. "I probably look hideous to you. Bellatrix beat me quite often, and--"

He kissed her lightly, unbuttoning her jeans, and pulling the zipper down. "It's all in the past, baby girl. I'm going to make sure that bitch never touches you again."

He kissed her neck, trailing his lips down her neck until he lightly bit the juncture where her neck met her shoulders. "Ah! Scabior..."

"Do you like that?"  
"Yes."  
"Good. Lift your arms."

She did, and he slowly removed her little tank top, and sweater. He nibbled her neck as he slid his hands lower to cup her breasts through her bra.

"You are so beautiful, love," He purred in her ear, which made her insides turn to mush. "And you are all mine at last."

She reached up, and stroked his cheek. "I...I need time for that."

He nodded, understanding, "It's okay, you'll get there. I'm not expecting you to drop the L word on me so soon after all that's happened."

Hermione was truly touched by his words! Ron certainly wouldn't have been as understanding, and Harry would have tried to, but Scabior really did _get_ her. She felt something soften in her heart towards him, and it felt good, really good.

"Hey," Scabior wiped at her tears. "Aw, angel I'm so sorry. Let's just undress and go from there. We have all night."

She felt an immense weight leave her then. She kissed him lightly. "Thank you! I mean that."

He thumbed her tears away, and kissed her forehead. "Undress me, beautiful."

"Alright."

She undressed him slowly, layer by layer, kissing every exposed part of flesh. She wasn't nearly ready to go down on him yet, but they would go slow, and see where their union took them both emotionally. He undressed her just as slowly, and he kissed her slowly, deeply, his callused hands running up and down her back, and cupping her ass as he continued to lavish her mouth with his tongue. Hermione melted in his arms, from the tenderness of his touches, from the love she saw in his almost black eyes.

He licked the hollow of her throat, and lavished her nipples with that same reverence he showed in touching her. Every touch of his whispered, ' _I love you,' 'you are mine,' 'I am your slave, my angel.'_

He picked her up in his arms, and wrapped her legs around him to steady herself. He lowered her on to one of the cushioned couches, and he kissed and licked up and down her body. But when he got between her legs, he asked, "Are you ready for me, beautiful?"

She nodded. "Please. Make me yours."

He entered her slowly, and he gave a deep thrust that made her see stars. Oh. My gods...It feels even better than the first time. Scabior gasped, "Oh love, you're so tight for me. So perfect...."

"Mmm...ohh gods....yess," Hermione moaned. "Yes, right there."

Hermione ran her nails up and down his back as he picked up the pace, thrusting into her so deep that she didn't know where she ended, and he began. She lifted her leg to wrap higher up his waist, and began to meet him thrust for thrust. Her cries were being drowned out by his kisses.

She could feel her orgasm approaching, and she cried out, "I'm close.."

"Cum for me, love," Scabior purred in her ear, nibbling it. He bottomed out inside of her as he slammed into her a few times, and that was when she cried out his name as she found her release.

Scabior paused in his thrusts to withdraw out of her. "Get on all fours, and hold on tight, I want to try this with you."

"Um...o-okay."

She did as he said, and he lightly stroked her throat as he pushed her chin up to meet his lips. She kissed him back, eagerly meeting his tongue as he kissed her deeply, almost roughly. He broke the kiss to kiss down her back, and he stroked himself with her juices. She felt him tease her clit in enticing little circles as he fingered her, making her moan and get so wet she leaked down her inner thighs.

She felt him get behind her, and he spread her legs just a little further before she felt him enter her. She instinctively gasped at how big he felt inside her, how it stretched her, but felt amazing at the same time.

"Oh my gods," She moaned. Scabior massaged her ass before gripping her hips for leverage. He thrust in and out of her fast and hard, making them both pant and sweat from the strain. After a time, Scabior stiffened and gave one last hard thrust before she felt him fill her womb with his seed. At that moment, the marriage enchantment sealed and bonded them as husband and wife.

He withdrew out of her, and sagged on the couch. She snuggled up to him, her knees tired from kneeling on the cushions. He smoothed back her hair from her face, and smiled, "Are you ready to rinse off, beautiful?"

She kissed his chest lightly. "I will be soon. But I guess it's official, we are officially married."

Scabior lifted my chin to meet his eyes. "Yes, we are. I...I guess it has just felt real to me. I love you, beautiful."

"Thank you," She blushed. "I just need time, alright?"

He kissed her softly. "Take all the time you need. But for now, let's bathe, and get ready for bed."

"Where?"  
"My travel tent, I guess?"  
They laughed at that.  
"Good idea."  
"Thank you."

They shared a few more kisses before they bathed, and swam for a bit. Scabior led her out to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and there they slept in each other's arms as a married couple for the first time ever. Hermione knew that she would always love Harry, but she was beginning to care for her child's father, and surely nothing was wrong with that, right?

So it was, that Hermione found herself lying in the arms of a former deatheater, and struggling to love after her most recent loss of her first love, Harry Potter. But in that tent, she slept as well as could be expected, her husband curled around her, and his hand touching her occupied belly, and the life they created together in another tent not so long ago....


	23. To Steal A Crown

Emma

Daniel and Ginny Weasely met with me in the Headmaster's office just after classes. Ginny found it strange at first to meet Harry and Draco's twins, but since Harry had chosen Hermione in the end, she was glad to have Daniel console her as she wrestled with her grief over losing her brother Ron.

Losing Harry Potter was an extremely low point for the so called lightside, and with Lord Voldemort gone, all traces of him needed to be eradicated in order for him not to some day resurrect himself into another body.

It was a month before Daniel suggested that the Room of Requirement needed to be searched throughly for the diadem of Ravenclaw.

"Does she still have the sword of Gryffindor?" I asked.

Daniel was about to answer when Hermione came into the office, trailing Scabior behind her. She had her purse with her, and she looked at Daniel strangely.

"Sorry," She finally said, "I just...I'm still not used to seeing a twin of Harry walking around. What were you guys saying about a chalice?"

I cleared my throat. "Yes, the golden chalice of Helga Hufflepuff. Did you and your friends happen to retrieve it in your horcrux quest?"

"What's so special about a fancy schmancy cup?" Scabior asked, snacking on some leftover lemon drops on the desk. "Is it like enchanted an' stuff?"

I shook my head, grinning at the former snatcher. "Well, yes as a matter of fact. Lady Hufflepuff's wealth derived from a very profitable winery, and brewery. Her cup was enchanted to make any wine or beer poured into it taste perfect to whoever drank from it. But unfortunately, Voldemort acquired it during his employment at Borgin and Burkes, and turned it into a horcrux, and killed Helga Hufflepuff's last living descendant in order to acquire his mother's locket, Lord Slytherin's locket, in fact."

"Sounds like a very dick move to me," Scabior replied. "You want any o' these, babe?"

Hermione laughed, "No, I'll stick to chocolate frogs. But you go ahead, Scab. What do you--"

Severus burst into the office, and threw off his outer teacher robes in disgust. He noticed me in the room, and sighed, "Sorry. Some first year made the potions lab explode, so I will have to replace my current robes. Do you want anything, Mr O'Donnel? I highly doubt those lemon drops will serve you in good stead."

Scabior laughed, "Always so formal yer Lordship. I would drink, but my witch don't like it too much. Gotta be as sober as a Priest at Mass, know what I'm sayin'? You've got a little one on the way too."

Severus quirked a grin. "Yes, I do. Water it is, then. Do continue, Emma, I just have to shower and change."

I frowned. "Pity you don't want company."

Severus flashed me a wicked grin, "Later. Do continue your meeting, lioness."

I kissed his cheek, and sat down in the Headmaster's chair as Severus went upstairs to shower.

Scabior sipped his ice water, and quipped, "So, where do we get this chalice? Any leads on that, yer Ladyship?"

I grinned at my twin's husband. "Yes, we have to break into the LeStrange vault at Gringotts. The chalice was entrusted to her to ensure its safety. Thank God, the snake is dead, that could have been a messy fight there."

Scabior giggled, "Then it ain't gonna be either of you ladies if you're that keen on gettin' it."

Both me and Hermione put our hands on our hips. "Oh? And why the hell not? We rescued that goblin from the Manor, and Griphook promised that he would repay the favor somehow," I pointed out.

"Scabior is right, Em's," Daniel interjected. "No offense, but you and Hermione are pregnant. Remember what that chapter was like in the book? Hell, even the wire work involved in shooting that scene? Emma, come on, do you really want to put your kid's life at risk just because you want to play heroine again?"

I had no choice but to admit that he was right. "Fine. But I'm helping you guys to destroy Rowena Ravenclaw's lost diadem."

Daniel hugged me, much to Ginny's displeasure, "Then I volunteer to go in Emma and Hermione's place. I'm not knocked up, and all that rot. I know Malfoy's involved with Luna, so we'll get no help there. But what about your friend Tom, Emma?"

I drew up a complete blank there. Obviously, he liked Hogwarts, but I knew that he genuinely wanted to go back through the portal via the train. "I honestly don't know," I finally answered. "I think he more or less wants to go back to our time. But I can't, I have a life here I wouldn't dream of giving up just to be an actress again."

Daniel laughed, "I think Tom likes the Greengrass twins too much to leave. I know Pansy Parkinson didn't like that he wasn't Draco when she found out they were completely different guys."

I nodded. "Soo, basically, we are all staying. Lovely. Dan, do you think you could get Tom in on this idea of breaking into Gringotts Bank?"

Daniel nodded, "I think that I can. Scabior, will you join me on this bank robbery?"

Scabior smirked, "Like you even had to ask, man. It sounds like fun, so long as we don't get caught. My record's ain't that stellar, even with my brief stint as a snatcher."

Severus came down the stairs dressed, and he said, "Good, you have a plan. The only thing we have to establish now is how much Polyjuice potion will be required for this endeavor. I cannot leave Hogwarts, it would be too suspicious and out of character for me. However, I can brew the necessary potion."

Daniel, Scabior, and hopefully Tom would go on the mission. Meanwhile, there was the diadem to still find, and destroy. Severus wrote down the names on a piece of parchment, and tucked it away in his robes.

Hermione presented the sword of Gryffindor out of her purse, and she put it back in. "I'm still going with you to the Room of Requirement," She asserted.

"And me as well," Ginny put in.  
"Me too," I chimed in.

Scabior polished off the last of the lemon drops and stood up. "Well, I'll go along for this as a bodyguard to you ladies. How about you, Lordship?"

Severus nodded, "Very well, let's go destroy the stupid thing."

We all prepared to leave, and when we got to the door to the Room of Requirement, it let us in immediately. The place was super dusty, and smelled like some old woman's attic. I held Severus's hand as we traversed each row of junk laid out before us piled here and there, like the most extreme hoarder imaginable. Finally, we came to a dusty table that had a dark cherry oak jewelry box on it.

I opened the box gingerly, and saw the silver and sapphire diadem inside it. Scabior whistled, "Shame we gotta destroy it. This pretty thing would fetch a nice price in Knockturn Alley. I got a good eye fer gemstones, and these things is definitely not paste."

Severus scowled, "As fascinating as your budding gemologist career is, Mr O'Donnell, the sooner this thing is destroyed the better off we will be. Mr Radcliffe, would you do the honors?"

Daniel nodded. "Yeah, sure, whatever.. _.Professor_. I get it, I'm the Harry Potter lookalike. How about you, Emma?"

I shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

Hermione produced the long, thin sword, and handed it to me. The sword was as light as a rapier, and I picked it up, and set it on the stone floor. I lifted the sword over my head, and fought off the sudden migraine starting to form as I brought it down on to the sapphire and diamond diadem.

Black smoke rose from it, and the red eyed face of Voldemort screamed in agony as I brought the sword down on the diadem again, and again, and again until it was completely destroyed. The remnants of the diadem dematerialized just as the black smoke, and creepy face did.

I almost collapsed, but Severus held me up, asking, "Are you alright?"

I felt my head began to feel better. I nodded my head, "I'm just nursing a migraine. He tried to probe my mind just before the smoke cleared. Is that normal after a psychic attack?"

"Yes, it is," Severus answered. "But come, let us go back to our quarters, and get you something for that headache."

I nodded. "Thank you, everyone. Excellent work."

We all left the Room of Requirement, and I retired early to my bedroom. I took a relaxing bath, and Severus and I shared a lovely evening in. The gold chalice of Hufflepuff was the final horcrux, and I just prayed that we could get it before Bellatrix LeStrange did, because the clock was running down for us all....


	24. To Steal A Golden Grail

Scabior

The day we were supposed to leave, I kissed the top of my angel's head. "Time to wake, doll face," I whispered in her ear, nipping it playfully.

Hermione giggled, "Scab, stop. That tickles!"

I smoothed her curly hair back from her flawless face, and pressed my lips to her soft, full ones. "Do ya like this better?"

"Mmhm," She murmured. "I guess you have to leave soon. Oh! Ow...okay, if this kid was doing this to my outside, I would have a bruise forming, I swear."

"Lemme feel," I offered.

Hermione rolled over, and I touched her somewhat pudgy belly. One kick...then two...then three. My kid, mine. I put him or her in there. I felt an overwhelming wave of love wash over me. I moved down and pressed my lips to her covered belly.

"Hey, little one," I greeted, tearing up. "It's yer pops. You be good to your mama now, you hear? Papa loves you very much."

Hermione chuckled, "Aw, the big tough deatheater is talking to my womb, how very odd."

I laughed, "Them's fightin' words, missy. Besides, it ain't crazy since our kid is in there."

She kissed my cheek. "I know. But if that weren't the case I would call you crazy."

"True. I suppose I gotta go," I said, getting out of bed. I gathered up some clothes, and went into the bathroom. Hermione followed, and when the water was hot, she joined me. We made out for a bit, and if I weren't so crunched for time I would have done more. We both finished up our shower, and got dressed.

Hermione fixed my tie, and said, "There. You look fit for company now."

Lordship, and my angel's twin arrived. Then ginger and Potter's doppleganger showed up, and Hermione hugged her sister.

Lordship rolled his eyes, "If this is everyone, I believe you can get going, and--"

"Wait!" Lordship Malfoy's twin shouted. "I'm coming too."

Dan laughed, "Um, Tom, you still have your fly unzipped, man. You sure you want to go to Gringotts?"

Tom ran his fingers through his dyed blonde hair. "Yep. I've got the twin wand of my twin brother, the goblins will assume I'm going to my account, since I'm supposed to be a Malfoy and all."

Lordship shook his head, "No, Mr Felton, you need to remain at Hogwarts. I do not have the necessary amount of Polyjuice potion for you."

"Let me talk to him," Emma suggested.

They walked off a few paces, and talked for a few minutes. They shared a hug, and she kissed his cheek. I'm no legilimens, or whatever, but even I could see that they had some real history there. Unresolved history, which sucked, because I was in his shoes a few times in school.

"Okay, I'm staying," Tom decided. "Be safe, Dan, alright?"

Dan, the Potter twin, hugged his best mate, and said, "Don't worry, Tom. We'll be fine."

The ginger girl talked some with Lordship Snape, and nodded, "Soo, basically, I have to act like a psychotic bitch. Got it. Do you have her wand?"

Hermione produced it out of her purple purse, or what would be called a reticle in the old days. Ginger took it, and looked it over. "Figures her wand would be just as ugly and basic as her," She remarked. "Well, tell Draco I'm grateful to be 'borrowing,' one of his Aunt's dresses."

I thought she filled out the dress better than the boss's slut, but since no one asked me for an opinion, I kept my mouth shut.

"I will, thanks," Tom laughed.

Everyone in the burglary party drank their Polyjuice potion at the same time. The potion tasted horrible, but I thought it weird as hell that I looked like Lucius Malfoy now.

Hermione blushed, "Wow, Scab, you look dashing. Can I get a kiss? He's adorable."

I chuckled, "Certainly...darling."

She socked me in the arm playfully. "Just indulge me...Lucius."

I pulled her to me, and cradled her face in my hands. I pressed my lips to hers, and she kissed me back eagerly, our tongues darting into each other's mouths before I drew away from her. Dan kissed his ginger girl goodbye, and Tom walked beside me.

"Good luck...dad," Tom smirked. "I'm going to have to bleach out my eyes of you kissing Granger as Malfoy Senior."

Ginger witch rolled her mousy brown eyes, "Whatever. At least I'm not knocked up. But let's go, guys, we have a stupid gold cup to find in Bellatrix's bank vault.

Dan agreed, "Agreed, babe. Let's go, shall we?"

💚🐍💚

Ginny

We all joined hands, and disapparated right into Diagon Alley. My brother's joke shop seemed to be the only vibrant shop available, but we walked past it to the ornate white marble building that served as the center of finance for the wizarding world. Daniel handed me the invisibility cloak, and I had to walk beside Scabior. Daniel got under the cloak, and I kept my distance from my 'brother in law.'

I had learned from Luna how Bellatrix walked, and moved, so I was walking at a clumsy limp as I walked in her dusty, Victorian boots. But the snatcher's performance shocked me, because he played a perfect Lucius Malfoy. Leave it to Hermione Granger to select an intelligent wizard, even if he looked like a street person.

I hated all of the inequal wealth disparity in the main foyer as the goblin tellers worked stamping their parchments, or weighing galleons and knuts on golden scales. I stumbled along, and righted myself as I walked towards the main bank teller.

I cleared my throat. The old goblin looked up, and eyed me sharply, "Ah, Mr Malfoy, Mrs LeStrange. How can I be of service?"

I took on a haughty pose. "Yes, I would like to get into my vault."

The goblin teller nodded, "Ah, yes, of course. Please submit your wand for identification."

I scowled, "What fresh bullshit is this?! Never once have I had to submit more than my fucking key!"

Scabior cleared his throat. "Perhaps I might be of assistance? My sister in law does forget herself often in favor of childish petulance. I can vouch for Bella's identity."

The bank teller was unimpressed. "No, Mr Malfoy, I cannot rely on your mere word. Your wand--"

" _Imperio_ ," Daniel cast from beneath the invisibility cloak.

A vacant expression took over the goblin teller's ugly face, and he grinned, "Oh, my mistake, Mrs LeStrange. Follow me, will you?"

We had no choice but to follow, and when we got to the vault car that travels on a sort of metal track in the caves beneath Gringotts, we stunned the bank teller. Daniel grabbed the goblin's keyring, and we sat in one of carts.

I sat next to Daniel as he stored the valuable cloak away on his person. "We're probably going to have a long drop once we go through the waterfall, so be prepared."

"I've never been here," Scabior confessed in Mr Malfoy's voice. "My family was never rich, but I loved my mother, that's for damn sure."

The cart went along its twisting, curving tracks, and was going too fast. The waterfall was up ahead. I reached over to wrench up on the brakes, only for the cart to stop right inside the waterfall. A loud alarm sounded, and suddenly, the bottom dropped out of the cart.

I screamed as Daniel tried to grab for me. The ground flew up faster and faster, and Scabior shouted, " _ARRESTO MOMENTUM!"_

All of us froze in mid air, and I fell on top of him as I fell. I blushed, embarrassed. "Sorry."

"Don't mention it, ginger."  
"I have a name, you know."

Scabior shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever, pureblood girl. I ain't here for you, so don't go on putting on airs, when I know for a fact your family ain't all that well off. So shut it with the high an' mighty act... _Ginervra_."

Daniel sighed wearily, "Let's just keep moving, the alarm has already been sounded, and hopefully, the aurors haven't released the abused dragon they keep shackled down here."

Scabior rolled his forest colored eyes. "Oh, goody. Dragons on our tail just to steal some alcoholic witch's gold grail thingy? Seems like a stupid ass notion on the Dark Lord's part, man. But then again, so was making Malfoy's brat kill Dumbledore in the first place."

"Would you two just stop comparing dicks already?!" I snapped. "We've got a cup to find, and it will be harder now since I don't look like Bellatrix."

Scabior smirked, "Whatever you say, ginger snap. Let's go."

I pulled out the key to the LeStrange vault, and unlocked it. The door opened and more wealth than I knew what to do with in a lifetime revealed itself.

Scabior whistled. "Shit, if I wasn't turnin' over a new leaf..."

Daniel scowled, "Don't touch anything. It's booby trapped."

"No shit, Potter wannabe."

"Guys, focus, let's just get the chalice, and get out of here," I mediated.

We looked at the various jewels and gold pieces lying around. At the furthest end of the vault, there stood the golden chalice.

" _Accio_ chalice," I cast with my wand.

"Really, ginger snap?"  
"My name is Ginny, asshole!"  
"I'll get it," Daniel decided.

He reached up to grab the chalice, but his fingers slipped, and the gemino charm took effect. Daniel grabbed the cup horcrux just as we were about to be swallowed up by all of the gold and jewels in the bank vault.

I grabbed both guy's hands, and pulled them up. Scabior unlocked the door somehow, and we spilled outside. Aurors had their wands trained on us, but then Scabior threw himself in front of me, and began firing jinxes at all of the aurors. We all joined in, and made a run for it to where Daniel was running towards the dragon enclosure.

We ran inside, and Scabior shut the door behind us. Daniel picked up a sort of crude rattle. He shook it, and the dragon winced and began crying out in anticipation of pain.

There was a huge boom, and then another. "Well, if anyone has any bright ideas now is the time," I suggested.

"Well, it worked in the book," Daniel said, "But it's crazy as hell. Let's escape on the dragon."

Scabior smirked, "Sounds like a good time. I'm in. How about you, ginger snap? Danny boy?"

Daniel chuckled, "Heck yeah, man, let's go."

He rattled the rattle, and the dragon became more docile as it laid its head down. I led the charge, and we all held on for dear life as the aurors burst through the door, the dragon took off, and we took to the skies as the dragon burst through Gringotts Bank, and towards Hogwarts once more....


	25. Destroying The Chalice

Ginny

When the dragon flew over the Black Lake, that was when I knew that it was time to jump. I looked to Daniel, and he gave me a nod.

Scabior shrugged his shoulders, and jumped off without saying a word. "I...I can't swim, Dan," I confessed. "Please tell me that you can."

Daniel winked, taking my hand in his. "I've got you, Ginny. I won't let go."

"You promise?"  
"Yes."

"Okay, let's jump in three...two...one!" Daniel counted before he grabbed my hand, and we jumped...

💚🐍💚

Daniel

He surfaced first before Ginny. He still had a hold of her when they came up for air, but now, something about the adrenaline of the moment or what have you, brought into clear focus the fact that he _liked_ her liked her.

They found a shallow part of the lake, and Ginny was about to get out when he said, "Ginny? I...um, there is something I want to say before we head up to the castle."

Ginny rose an eyebrow, and said, "Umm...okay? What's this big secret?"

 _Shut up and tell her! Man up, and confess what you feel! You're a damn celebrity, and should be used to this by now, now go ahead and tell her!_ He took her hands in his, and confessed, "Ginny, I _like_ you. Like, as more than friends. I know I'm not Harry, and that you two had this special thing, but over the time I have been here, I have to confess that you are a definite improvement. I understand if you aren't ready to move on, or--"

He didn't get that far because Ginny grabbed him and crashed her lips on to his. Daniel smiled against her lips, and expertly slid his tongue into her mouth slowly, savoring the feel of Ginny Weasely's lips and tongue moving in time with his.

They broke apart at the sound of slow clapping. Scabior leaned against a tree in his cavalier kind of way. "Looks like love is in the air. But I ain't one to judge since I've got a witch now. Still, I'm happy fer ya both, really."

"Um, thanks, I guess?" Daniel shook his head.

Scabior nodded. "Yeah, no problem. Let's get inside, Lordship will wanna see the cup horcruxy thing."

Ginny smoothed back her red hair. "Dare I need to ask why you call Professor Snape by that nickname?"

Scabior shrugged, " 'Cause the guy is loaded, and puts on airs like a fancy schmancy Lord. Why do you care? Even his wife finds the nickname funny."

Ginny laughed, "I don't, but I was just curious as to why. Thanks for letting me know."

They all headed up to the castle, and sat down at their chosen tables as dinner was getting underway in the Great Hall. Daniel sat next to his now-girlfriend, and watched Emma laugh and carry on with her Slytherin friends at the opposite table. Tom and Draco were chatting away with Blaise and the others, and looked like perfect twins of one another. Daniel smiled, because he knew that even here his friend could have family if he stayed in the wizarding world.

When dinner was over, Emma joined Severus, and they left the Great Hall together. Daniel and Ginny followed, and so did Hermione and her snatcher husband. Only Draco and Luna stayed with the Slytherins, apparently. The Headmaster office opened up, and Daniel went inside.

Ginny had Helga Hufflepuff's golden chalice, and she produced it. Scabior scoffed, "It's ugly and cheap looking. At least the diadem had valuable gemstones in it that would be useful on the black market."

Hermione agreed, "True, but it's not like we will worry about it much longer. How about you destroy it, dear?"

Scabior chuckled, "Don't mind if I do."

The golden chalice was placed on the floor, and Severus said, "This is the very last horcrux. After this, the Dark Lord will never be able to resurrect into a new body ever again."

"Thank Merlin for that," Daniel remarked, which made everyone in the room laugh.

Emma agreed, "Yes, but what of the other deatheaters? The werewolves and such? Scabior, you were friends with Greyback. Will your friend side with Bellatrix?"

Scabior laughed, "Hell no, but knowin' Fen as I do, he's gonna lead his own clan. Now, let's destroy this stupid souvenir cup, and have a nightcap before bed."

Severus cracked a smile, "Fair point, Mr O'Donnell. Proceed."

Scabior lifted the sword over his head and brought it down. As soon as the cup shattered into several pieces, a black smoke emanated from it, and began screaming in agony before dissipating. Once that was gone, the entire assembly blew out a collective sigh of relief.

Scabior handed the sword to Severus, and he put it inside the display case. "Well, that's that. Good work, everyone. Now, we must all bolster the defenses of Hogwarts against the remainder of the deatheaters..."

💚🐍💚

Emma

The office soon emptied of our party, and I sagged into Severus's office chair. "Any chance I can get a cocktail after that ordeal?"

Severus came around behind me, and massaged my shoulders. "Hm..I suppose a massage could be worked into the evening's schedule."

"Mmm," I murmured. "And is this a perk only I as your wife get to enjoy? Or male pride that I have your bun in my oven?"

Severus kissed the top of my head. "Both, lioness. Now come, I think it is time that we retired. What do you say?"

I stood, and took his hand in mine. "I think that is the best idea I have heard all day."

Severus nodded, and he led me upstairs where we massaged one another, and enjoyed a heartfelt lovemaking session that ended with us snuggling in each other's arms as we eventually fell asleep. But it would prove to be only the calm before the storm, because as Bellatrix gathered her forces around her, so did the Order of the Phoenix, and in the months that followed, both sides prepared to do battle on the grounds of Hogwarts once and for all....


	26. The Battle Of Hogwarts

Emma

Two Months Later...

The battle came in the middle of the night, and when it came, none of us were fully prepared. I was starting to sport a baby bump under my clothes, and so was Hermione. I hated not being included in the fighting, but we both had no choice in the matter, being expectant mothers, after all; it just happened to be strangely ironic that both me and Hermione were carrying babies from deatheater husbands.

Luna, Ginny, and almost all of the other students were going to be in the battle, it was planned that way, any way. But life is often an unpredictable thing, and that is what happened in this case as well. I don't know who took down the protective wards, but sometime in the wee hours of the morning, the Dark Lady, as Bellatrix was calling herself these days, struck hard and fast on a sleepy, unsuspecting Hogwarts...

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Crash! Screaming! Then the sound of the office portraits yelling and panicking were heard down below in the Headmaster's office.

Phineas Nigelius Black, appeared in his portrait in the bedroom and hissed, "Headmaster! Wake up! You _must_ wake up! The castle is under attack!"

Severus groaned and sat up in bed. He got up, shirtless, save for his black silk pajama pants, and walked over to Phineas Black's portrait. I gathered the covers around me as I sat up in bed, suddenly wide awake.

"What seems to be the problem, Phineas?" Severus drawled, still half awake.

Black paced his portrait restlessly. "Severus, the castle, it's under attack! Bellatrix, my crazed grand niece, she....oh gods, she's destroying everything!"

Severus nodded. "When?"  
"Fifteen minutes ago."  
"Gather the teachers."  
"Including the....twin ghouls?"

Severus grinned. "Yes, even them, if they weren't the ones who were responsible for the lowering of the wards."

Black nodded, understanding, "On it. Will the teachers meet here?"

"No, in the staff room," Severus decided. "My wife and Mrs O' Donnell are to remain here with the dragon and wards tripled in strength. They are expectant mothers and cannot participate in the fighting."

"Yes, sir, it will be done," Nigelius Black said, with approval. He left his portrait, and Severus turned to me, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Emma, I need you to remain here," He said, summoning his signature black robes, save for the heavy outer teaching robe. "Can you do that for me?"

I rose, and threw myself in his arms. "No," I cried, "Please don't go, Severus. From what I know of the battle, you are supposed to die! Please. Your child needs you. _I_ need you here."

Severus finished dressing via magic. He tilted my chin to meet his eyes, "Emma, look at me. I'm not going to die. From what I saw of your pensieve memories, I had nothing to live for, save for my own life. You, my dearest, are worth fighting for, you and our child. I love you both with all of my heart."

I began to cry harder, "Then stay by our side. Please, Severus. I lost you once, I'm not losing you again. I...I love you too much to allow you to do that."

He brushed my tears away with his thumbs, and traced my lips with his thumb. "You will never lose me, Emma. No matter what happens. I love you."

"I love you too, and--"

But my words were ceased with his lips crashing against mine. I threw my arms around his neck, and kissed him, hard, pouring all of my love and passion for him into it. We broke the kiss for air, and he kissed my forehead softly.

He grabbed his wand, and he looked back once as he left, and I mouthed, 'I love you.'

'I love you,' He mouthed back, and then left our chambers.

I felt an odd sense of loss when he did so, and suddenly, I felt the need to throw up. I barely made it in time to the bathroom to vomit in the toilet as I broke down into sobs. Would I ever see Severus again? Would our child ever get to meet his or her father? I had no way of knowing, all I knew for certain was that my husband was going to battle and I might never see him again.

I cleaned myself up, and went to bed. Yes, sleep, that was what I needed. I found it hard to get back to sleep, but I eventually did, and the pain lessened in my heart. I didn't wake up until one of the Headmaster portraits informed me that Hermione was at the door, and should she be let in?

"Yes," I grunted. "Let her in, but don't let anyone else in."

Hermione came in, and when the door to the office shut behind her, the long waiting began, and we kept our wands at the ready, prepared for the worst, and hoping for the best, and praying that our wizards returned to us safe, and in one piece. But what I prayed for the most was that my child was safe, and that Severus could fight fate, and live when even in the book, and movie, he was destined to pay the ultimate price....


	27. Filling The Time

Emma

I was faced with my twin sister, or more accurately, my doppelganger. She was dressed in light blue pajamas, and seemed to study me as we really looked at each other for the first time ever, really. She fiddled with her wedding ring, and looked about just as on edge as I was.

"All of the Headmasters are gone," She pointed out to the empty frames.

I looked, and sure enough, not a single Headmaster or Mistress was present in their paintings.

"Yes," I said lamely. "Soo, I guess since we're not getting any sleep tonight, what do you want to do?"

Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, not worry about my husband, or my friends. Losing Harry...it still gets to me, sometimes. He was like my brother, and..." She choked back a sob, "I loved him, I really, really did. Scab is great, very sweet in his own way, but we didn't meet under the best of circumstances, and, I still struggle with loving my husband because of it."

I nodded, and rubbed my arms. "Do you want to wait down here? I'm just going to go upstairs to grab a robe."

Hermione looked around the empty office. "Um, could I go with you? I don't know, but something about being in Dumbledore's empty office is really weirding me out."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Sure, why not? We'll be safer in the bedroom any ways. Even if the deatheaters get past the wards, the strongest are on the bedroom itself."

"Okay, let's go."

She followed me up the ornate spiral staircase, and we passed the Headmaster's private library, and I pulled back a book, (The Picture of Dorian Gray, first edition, naturally), to reveal the private doorway to the bedroom.

  
Hermione laughed, "Of course, the entire room is black. Please don't tell me you two sleep on the same mattress Dumbledore did."

I went to my shared walk in closet with Severus, and fished out of his robes, and put it on, comforted by his earthy scent already.

"No, Severus assured me that he burned it when he became Headmaster," I reassured her.

Hermione sat on the edge of it, as I came out all bundled up in my husband's plushy fleece bed robe. "Oh, good. I would be creeped out being in here otherwise."

There were crashes and distant booming sounds in the castle, but they seemed distant, and far from us. We kept our wands on us in any case.

I sat beside her, and said, "We definitely look like twins. Can I see your wand?"

She handed it over, and the vine wrapped wands also looked completely identical. The wands began to hum and vibrate, and bands of magic bound our wrists. We both looked at each other, shocked.

Then the twin wands seemed to 'sing,' to us, and sang, " _Kindred spirits united at last...witch and muggle...magic binding both souls. Sisters now in life, and death..."_

Hermione took her wand, and the magical bands of energy seemed to absorb into our skin. "Curiouser and curiouser," She muttered aloud.

I nodded, "Exactly. But I think the message means that we were meant to meet, and be twin sisters."

"Funny how it said nothing about why we ended up with two dark wizards," Hermione quipped. "You marry my Potions teacher, and I get married to a snatcher. I don't know if that's destiny or not, but I'd like to know about why you chose Snape. I mean..." Her cheeks reddened slightly, "...He _is_ kind of cute, but um...you two seem to mesh together very well. I'm very curious how that happened, he's always been a sarcastic git to me."

I laughed. "Well, it stemmed from my crush on Alan Rickman, I guess. Okay, Severus looks quite like him, but they are very different in ages. Their voices are nearly identical, though, it's still eerie at times. Anyway, I started the first Harry Potter movie when I was eleven, and I first really liked Tom, like, I was crazy into him. But like Dan and Rupe, we became this solid circle of friends. Then we had to meet Alan."

Hermione smiled knowingly, "Let me guess, you thought he was super cute right away."

I shook my head. "Oh God, no. I was star struck by this big time theater and Broadway actor. He directed his own films, started his own art company still in his twenties, and he was super brilliant, and so disarmingly nice, and polite when the cameras weren't rolling, that is. But seeing him wear those robes, and the way he inhabited that Potions classroom...oh my, I was enthralled, no question."

"What about Dan?"

I laughed, "Oh, he was scared of him for the longest time. I mean, he was scared of Severus, not him as a person, because Alan was the type of actor who could turn any of his past characters on as fast as the flip of a switch. I have always needed a few minutes to do the same thing, but he was that talented, no lie. Alan could go from rough housing with the boys one moment, or having dainty afternoon tea with me and Maggie Smith another moment."

Hermione smiled. "What happened when you got older and did other movies?"

I shrugged my shoulders, and brushed my hair off to the side. "I began to eventually crush on him more and more. But I never told him about my secret crush on him, not even when I was of age to be the proactive one and ask him out. I only told Tom, and that was just a little bit after Alan died of pancreatic cancer."

Hermione covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh, my gods. Emma, I had no idea. You must have been devastasted, especially since you couldn't be with him as you wanted to be."

I summoned a tissue box, and wiped at my eyes. "It wasn't. But I sought comfort from Tom, and I know he doesn't see it this way, but I slept with him, and then I went to the promotion for this muggle theme park version of Diagon Alley, and got on the Hogwarts Express. It brought me here, and brought me through some kind of portal to this time, and the wizarding world.

"Adjusting to the fact that all of this was real," I indicated the bedroom around us to illustrate the wizarding world, "And Severus Snape was real, well, all of those pent up feelings I had for my co star came to the fore. At first, that is all it was. But eventually, it became more than that, and I got to know him, the real man behind that stoic mask he presents to the world. How could I help but love him?"

Hermione didn't answer for a long time. She reached for my hand, and I took it, and squeezed it. "I think I understand now. He's brilliant and powerful, and I've always liked older wizards, and even though I would never be able to see him as more than my teacher, I understand why you love him. I think with me and Scabior, it was his kind spirit that won my heart over in the end. Sure, he's a bit rough around the edges, but he's tough, and smart, and I rather like that."

I caught her small blush, and chuckled, "I suppose it doesn't hurt that he's easy on the eyes too, right?"

Hermione nodded, shyly. "Okay, he's cute, alright? Geez, you can say it, I'm a Stockholm Syndrome victim."

"I think you're over that now."  
"What if I'm not?"

"You're afraid you won't love him after your baby is born?" I asked.

Hermione fidgeted with her fingers in her lap. "I...I do fear resenting Scab for getting me pregnant, yes."

I hugged her. She began to cry, and I let her cry her heart before she sniffled. I handed her a tissue. She blew her nose, and sniffled, "Thanks. I'm not crazy for thinking that am I...sis?"

"No, of course not," I reassured her. "He kidnapped you and your friends, and sent you to Malfoy Manor. But he seems like a good guy, Hermione. I think you should give him the benefit of the doubt, and tell him of these fears. He seems to care a great deal for you."

"Thank you, Emma."  
"No problem. I--"

But I never got to finish what I was going to say, because I could sense the office wards being broken, and in the seconds it took me to summon my wand, Greyback burst through the bedroom door, and I had no time to block his stunning spell before I felt the darkness claim me, and I knew no more for a long time....


	28. The Battle Of Hogwarts Pt. 2

Severus

The castle was disintegrating around the dour Headmaster of Hogwarts as he deflected shot after shot of curses flying his way. Just beside him, Lucius Malfoy arrived, apparating with a loud pop. A deatheater shot a curse his way, and he shielded them both.

"Thanks," Severus remarked. "Where is 'Cissa?"

Lucius's cavalier grin faded from his handsome face. "Dead. Bella's own hand."

A giant stomped into their field of fire, and swung an axe at Lucius. " _Avada Kedavra_!" He cast.

The giant fell on a nearby acromantula, causing it to screech in pain as it died. They had no time to speak as they fought off a huge wave of inferi that had spotted them. Scabior was killing his fellow snatchers left and right, and students, no matter what House they belonged in, were fending off other assorted dangers.

But among the students and staff who were banding together to fight, there were many more dead bodies lying amongst the rubble. He was thankful that Emma and Hermione were at least safe within the castle walls, secluded within the Headmaster's quarters. He caught up with Minerva McGonagall, and she looked dirty, and part of her left cheek had a long gash on it that was bleeding profusely.

She narrowed her eyes at him and Lucius. "Relax, Minerva, he's with us," Severus soothed.

She nodded, throwing up a shield around the three of them. "I guess hell really has frozen over if Slytherins would deign to help out an old Gryffindor like myself."

Lucius smirked, "I'm here to avenge my wife, McGonagall, nothing more. Oh, and to keep my little brother out of trouble."

Severus rolled his eyes, "Yes, well, let us get the students to safety, shall we?"

Lucius nodded. "Agreed. Draco should be leading the Slytherins, that was the plan any way."

The fighting continued with fires and explosions going off in every corner of the castle as they dueled their way through the heaviest press of the battle. Miss Weasely, Harry Potter's doppelganger, Draco's twin, and Miss Lovegood were dueling six werewolves at once. Potter's doppelganger got hit with the killing curse, and Miss Weasely screamed in rage as she avenged her fallen lover.

Draco's twin spotted them first. "Guys! Let them in!"

Lucius seemed mystified by seeing a near identical clone of his son, but shook off his confusion by fighting their enemies. Mr Feltson growled, and grabbed a gun from his belt. "This is for my best friend, motherfuckers."

He aimed, and fired, shooting his enemy right in the forehead. Blood sprayed out the back of the werewolf's head, and he collapsed in a heap. The rest of the werewolves tried to attack them, but they finished them off.

"Mr Feltson, where is your brother?" Severus asked.

He pushed his sweaty blonde hair out of his face, and holstered his muggle firearm. "The last I saw him he was fighting to keep the wounded in the Great Hall safe."

Miss Weasely was crying bitter tears, "My dad, and Fred died when the outer bridge blew up after Professor McGonagall told Seamus and Neville to blow it up. They...They didn't make it before they f-fell! And n-n-now they k-k-killed Daniel!"

Mr Feltson hugged the grieving ginger witch. "I know, hon, I know. We're gonna get that psycho bitch. I promise you."

Miss Weasely nodded, and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Tom."

"No problem."

McGonagall cleared her throat, "Are you really going to be using a gun to fight, Mr Feltson?"

He grinned, "Heck yeah, I am. And I'm going to shoot that bitch right between the eyes."

Severus laughed, "Are you sure he's not your son, Lucius?"

Lucius winked, "With my past? It's entirely possible. Can I call you son?"

"Sure...dad," Mr Feltson joked. "I'm planning on staying any way. Come on, let's go find my brother."

Lucius nodded, and no one spoke for a long time as they fought through the rampaging acromantulas. Severus himself fell into that cold zone where time narrowed to the ebony wand in his hand, and he cast nothing but death at the end of his wand.

Draco was fighting off a group of inferi alongside Miss Parkinson, and Mr Zabini was barely holding on. All of them were bloodied up, and wounded, but Mr Feltson ran to his brother. The battle continued, until a big booming sound could be heard in the direction of the Great Hall.

Bellatrix cackled, "COME OUT COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE! I HAVE TWO LITTLE SWEETIES!! YOOO HOOOO!!"

They ran towards the main courtyard, and Bellatrix stood within a cleared out circle of her remaining deatheaters. She wore her signature black, ragged dress. Two human figures floated in two glowing bubbles of magic.

Bellatrix lifted up a finger. "Tut tut, Sevvy Wevvy. Not one more step until you've heard my little offer waffer!"

Severus scowled, "Let my wife go, Bellatrix. She isn't a part of this."

Bellatrix smirked, "And what of your favorite little know it all? Tell me, Sevvy, are you screwing her sister too? I like twins myself, so I'm not judging. What I want is revenge! You. Killed. My. True. LOVE!"

Lucius stepped forward, snarling, "You killed mine, you psychotic bitch! She was your _sister_. Let's settle this war in the old way. Severus and me fight you to the death. If you win, and you kill us, you can kill both witches. But if either me, or Severus kill you, this war is over, no questions asked. Either way, you will get your revenge for the death of Voldemort."

Bellatrix walked towards them, her black skirts flowing around her legs. She looked all of them over. "No, I think killing either of you will hurt both little mudbloods more than my killing them myself."

She turned to the magic bubbles, and took out her bent wand. She twirled her wand, and they popped. Both Emma and Hermione dropped at an alarming rate. He apparated and caught Emma in his arms. He didn't see where Hermione went, but when he landed with his wife in his arms she was blessedly still unconscious.

He was under the weeping willow by the side of the Black Lake. Lucius soon arrived with Hermione in his arms. He laid her side by side with Emma.

Lucius smoothed Hermione's hair back from her forehead. "They really are sisters, just like Tom has become Draco's brother. I'm glad."

Severus sighed, "We have to get them out of here, and they won't be able to handle another side along apparation."

"No wonder they survived," Lucius remarked. "Unborn wizarding children protect their mothers to a certain extent. Please tell me Bella is not correct I in assuming that you knocked them both up."

Severus was about to answer when Miss Granger's snatcher found them. He crouched by Hermione, and kissed her forehead. "Is she alright, Snape?"

Severus nodded. "They will be fine, Mr 'O Donnell. Bellatrix just stunned them. The babies protected their mothers, it seems."

Scabior breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Merlin. Hey, Lord Lucy. Come to join th' party?"

Lucius chuckled, "It would appear so. Forgive me, but who is the Granger girl to you?"

"My wife."  
"Severus?"  
"It's true."

"You can tell me the details later," Lucius told Scabior. "Right now, we have a psychotic witch to kill, and--"

Severus shook his head. "Then it should be me, and you know why..."

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Lucius

He did not believe that his cousin would call in that old oath when they were both seventh years at school. The oath was that Lucius would not engage his future sister in law Bellatrix in a duel, out of respect for Narcissa.

"Okay, Severus," Lucius decided. "I will let you have this one. Protect my sons."

Severus hugged him tight. "I will, brother. You have my word. If I should fall tonight--"

"I will treasure her," Lucius said seriously. "I promise."

Severus released him, and nodded. "Tell Emma I loved her with my whole heart."

"I will."  
"I love you, brother."  
"I love you too, little brother."

Lucius shared one last look with his cousin, and best friend in this whole world, and Severus left him, his posture as straight as a soldier's and with the determination that, win or lose, he would end this war once and for all.

All that was left was getting Emma and Hermione to safety. He enlisted Scabior's help, and after disillusioning themselves, they picked up the twin sisters bridal style, and used the floo network to go to the one house he never thought he would see again in his life: Spinners End....


	29. The Final Duel

Severus

Once Emma and her twin sister Hermione were safely out of the way, he approached Bellatrix LeStrange. She had a cold, manic rictus for a smile, and her bent wand was at the ready.

"Come to die, Sevvy, Wevvy?" She pouted, "Pity. You're almost too cute to kill. But oh well, after tonight, I will finish my Tommy's great work, and all shall bow down to me, as the Blacks were in the days of old."

"Keep telling yourself that," He said, bowing to her.

Bellatrix cackled, curtsying. They then circled one another, wands at the ready. Bellatrix struck first, but he blocked her spell easily. He then slashed at the air with his wand, causing a big gash to appear on her right thigh. She screamed, and tried to fight him, but he was too fast, too quick.

The duel continued as they both fired curse after curse at one another, but they were both getting tired from the strain. But at the last second, he flicked his wand in a deep slashing motion, and aimed it at her throat. Her throat opened up with a spray of blood. Bellatrix tried to fire the killing curse at him, but he slashed harder, deeper with his wand, and her head separated from her body.

Bellatrix's body collapsed, and he burned her body completely, taking no chances of her resurrecting into another body, just in case Voldemort taught her the dark magic necessary to create a horcrux. The remaining assembled deatheaters then threw down their wands, and surrendered.

But he was starting to get tunnel vision as he blacked out, and when he came to, he was lying in a hospital bed in Hogwarts with the light of the full moon shining down on him...

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He was in and out of consciousness, but eventually, he was informed by Madame Pomfrey that the wizarding war was over, and the Ministry of Magic wanted to award him with special awards. He no longer cared about such things, all he wanted was his wife around him, and the child that she was carrying to be born strong and healthy.

But would she still stay with him now that the wizarding world was safe? He had no way of knowing, but he would endeavor to find out, in the fullness of time....


	30. In Recovery

Emma

After the Battle of Hogwarts, a lot of deaths occurred as they did in the books: Remus Lupin, Fred Weasely, Lavender Brown, Nymphadora Lupin, and even little Colin Creevy was dead. But Severus was alive, this time around thank goodness.

Losing Daniel was a hard blow, and Tom and I grieved over that as we shared our sadness over losing our best friend. But as we visited with the other wounded witches and wizards in the Hogwarts hospital wing, I began to realize that Tom wanted to leave the wizarding world.

I was watching the telly with him in the Head Student room when he turned to me, and said, "Em's, I want to go back to our time, our world."

I laid a hand on my rounded belly, and sighed, "A part of me wants to leave, I really do, but..."

"You really love him, don't you?"

My eyes welled up with tears. "Yes. I have never loved any man as much as I love Severus. I'm carrying his child, and I think I want a family, a life with him. Isn't that crazy?"

Tom laughed, "Nah, it's not. I've seen him with you, babe. I'm jealous as hell, of course, because he snagged you, but am I happy for you? Yes, absolutely. I get it, you loved Alan, and couldn't have him, and this is by far better."

I hugged Tom. "Thank you, hon! That means so much to me. Oh no, I'm crying again, damn pregger hormones."

We both shared a laugh over that. "But what will you tell the press? I mean, Dan died during this battle, and that's not something easily explained away."

Tom sighed sadly, "Yeah, I know. But I've got your back, girl, you know that. I just wish I could be in Snape's shoes, you know? But I get it, you love him, and that's okay. We'll always have premiere night, won't we?"

I kissed his cheek, and ruffled his dyed blonde hair. "Definitely. Just do me a favor, will you?"

"Anything, Em's, you know that."  
"Don't go back to Tansy."

Tom winked, "I can definitely promise that I won't do that."

I yawned, suddenly feeling quite tired all of a sudden. "Good. Oh boy, I have to go check up on Severus before turning in for the night. But thank you, for this tonight, I think we both needed this."

Tom agreed, "We definitely did. Good night, Emma Bean."

"You too, Tommy Bear."

We hugged it out for a bit before we parted ways. I then went to the hospital wing, and Severus was sitting up in bed reading potions periodicals.

"That looks boring."

"It is," He admitted. "But it comes with the territory of knowing which potions are trending, and how to brew them. How was your visit with Draco's twin?"

I sat down beside him on his bed. "He misses Dan. We were friends for so long, like siblings, really, and all of a sudden, one killing curse not blocked in time snuffs out his life at the snap of a finger."

Severus brushed my tears away with his thumb. "I'm sorry that I did not get to know him as well as you and Tom did, darling. Is he staying in the wizarding world?"

I shook my head, wiping at my tears with the back of my hand, "No, and Draco hates it. He already lost a few friends of his, including his ex girlfriend Pansy, so it will take a while for him to cope with all of this. But Luna has been great, she seems to care about him a great deal."

Severus smiled warmly, nodding his head, "At the very least, Lucius cannot complain about the Lovegood girl being a muggleborn. And the 'O Donnell's?"

"Hermione and Scab are fine," I reported, "He's nervous as hell to be a dad, so you're in good company there. When are you getting released?"

Severus shrugged his shoulders, "Knowing Poppy, another week or so. How is our little one?"

I touched my very huge belly, and smiled, "He or she is about ready to come out next month, thank goodness. I'm really looking forward to not being pregnant any more. I just want to see our baby, that's all."

"Preference?"  
"Boy."  
"You?"  
"Same."

He kissed me lightly. "Good. Now, go to sleep, my angel. I won't have you exert yourself any more than necessary."

I chuckled, "Yes, Mr Grouchypants."

He quirked a smile, "Careful, or I may dock House points for being a saucy pain in my ass."

I got up, laughing, "Alright, alright, I'm going, I'm going. Good night, my Prince."

He kissed me softly, smiling, "Good night, my angel. Sweet dreams."

We parted ways then, and I immediately got ready for bed after reaching the Headmaster's office. I took a long, relaxing shower, and I slept quite peacefully for a pregnant woman, and when I awoke the next day, that was when the real tears began when Hogwarts began hosting its funerals for the very first time....


	31. Summer Babies!

Emma

June 30, 1998

It was during the early morning hours that my first baby decided to arrive. I was meditating, and just enjoying the dawn's new energies when I felt wetness start to seep from my bottom. At first, I thought that I had simply peed myself during meditation, because it wouldn't have been the first time. But when I tried to move, I felt the unmistakable sharp pain of a contraction in my lower belly.

I snapped my fingers, and Smocky, Severus's favorite house elf appeared, looking cute as always in her little black and white maid's uniform. "Yes, Mistress? What can Smocky do for you?" She squeaked happily.

"Smocky, my water just broke," I informed the house elf, "Could you knock me out, and levitate me to the hospital wing? Inform Master Severus, Hermione, Ginny, and Master Lucius, that the baby is coming."

Smocky looked afraid, "Oh! Mistress is in so much pain! Yes, yes, Smocky will do everything she says, she is a good house elf, Master Severus always says so. _Stupefy_!"

I felt myself go under the influence of the spell, and vaguely sensed that I was being levitated, but after that, I had no more memory of my surroundings until I came to, and woke to the pain of my labor...

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Severus

He was working in the potions lab, doing his own latest batch of experiments when Smocky popped in, breathless, "M-Master. Smocky has been sent to inform you that Mistress is in distress and that the baby is coming."

He jumped into gear at the house elve's words, "Is she in the hospital wing, Smocky?"

Smocky curtsied, "Yes, Master. Oh, please hurry! Smocky needs to tell so many people about this! Do I have your leave to continue on?"

Severus nodded, "Yes, of course. Thank you, for telling me."

Smocky disapparated with a loud pop, and he changed his robes for casual muggle clothes. The students weren't in school, and the castle itself was relatively quiet during this time of year. But all of that was about to change by the end of the day, he just knew it...

💚🐍💚

Emma was well into her labor by the time he arrived. Poppy tried to bar him from entering, but he glared at her. She quickly backed down, and let him pass. Emma was bathed in sweat as she sat up, and pushed yet again. He held her in his arms, and began to murmur soothing words to her.

Madame Pomfrey checked between her legs again. Hermione arrived, and she helped him support her without a word.

"Okay, I can just see the head crowning now," The mediwitch informed them all. "Emma, I'm going to need you to push hard, and give it all you have. Are you ready?"

Emma nodded. "Yes."  
"Okay...Push now!"  
"AHHHH!!" Emma screamed.

She bore down and pushed, and a tiny, red, squalling baby was pulled out from between his wife's legs. "Oh, my. Emma, I....I think you are carrying one more child in here, dear," She felt along the birth canal, and nodded her head to confirm the diagnosis. "Yes, I see the head crowning now. Push now. Hard!"

Emma did, and a second baby was born. Both babies screamed, and were covered in blood and gore. The mediwitch then delivered both placentas, and magically cut off their umbilical cords, and then did something he couldn't see between one of his children's legs. Hermione helped the old mediwitch clean up his two children, and he cleaned up Emma in turn.

Once that was done, Hermione looked pleased, and overjoyed. She placed a blue bundled blanket in his arms.

"Your son," She informed him. Hermione presented a pink bundled blanket to Emma, who was crying and beaming with happiness.

"Oh, Severus," Emma gushed, "She's so beautiful!"

Severus looked down at his son, and felt a love so pure wash over him at seeing his son....a boy, looking up at him with his eyes. He kissed his son's forehead, overcome with emotion.

Hermione looked at his boy, and smiled warmly, "He definitely looks like you. He has Emma's nose, her lips, but your eyes and hair. He'll be a handsome little heartbreaker when he gets older."

He smiled like an idiot, "Yes. A new Prince to carry on my family name. May he carry it with pride."

He handed his son off to Emma, who was just finishing nursing their daughter. Emma fussed over their son, and he looked down on his daughter. He fought the urge to frown when he saw her aquilline nose. She had Emma's hazel eyes, brown black hair, and besides his complexion, she had an exotic, but refined look to her that would either repel, or attract people when they first met her, much like himself.

He placed both of their children together, and the boy immediately reached out for the girl's hand.

"What will you name them?" Hermione asked. Scabior came in, and wrapped an arm around his wife's waist. He kissed her cheek, and he whispered something in her ear, which made her blush.

Severus looked at Emma, and she looked to be just as lost as him. Two children, a father twice over! It was certainly something that he never planned on, but now that they were here, he couldn't imagine life without them, if truth be told.

He picked up his daughter, and touched her mind briefly, "Happy Birthday to you too, Amirah. I'm honored to meet you."

He then picked up his son, and he touched his mind briefly, "Happy Birthday to you too, Sander. Yes, I know, you want your mum..."

💚🐍💚

Emma

Severus placed both twins in my arms, after naming them. He explained what each meaning of the names were, and Scabior remarked, "Congrats, Snape. Missus Snape. You two made some real good lookin' kids. I hope our baeyrn turns out just as cute."

Hermione kissed her husband. "I'm sure they will be. Come on, let's leave these two with their little ones. Congratulations you two, truly. I'm very happy for you both."

I hugged my twin sister, and when I was alone with Severus, we both breathed a sigh of relief.

I yawned, "I think I'm about ready for a nap. Do you mind having Madame Pomfrey watch the twins? I think I want to sleep in your arms tonight."

Severus took off his shoes, and gathered me in his arms; it was a tight fit, but was totally worth it. We soon fell asleep, and over the next few weeks, Amirah and Sander were seen by just about everyone. At the end of next month, I was released just in time to help Hermione with her own birth, and with the arrival of her daughter Brianna into the world. But it was after the awards ceremony at the Ministry of Magic a year later that I had to say goodbye to my last remaining tie to my past life, when Tom Feltson decided to leave the wizarding world behind him at last....


	32. Saying Goodbye

Emma

One Year Later...

Hermione and I, along with our husbands, stood at the Hogsmeade train station, not sure what to say to Tom to get him to remain with us in the wizarding world. Draco arrived ten minutes later with Luna Lovegood, who had a slight baby bump showing in her clothes. Lucius arrived with them, but he was solemn and in mourning for Narcissa.

Tom looked at all of us gathered, and he pasted a smile on his face, "I guess I don't know how to say goodbye to all of you."

I held Amirah in my arms, and Severus held Sander in his. Hermione held Brianna, her daughter, in her arms, but then she grew fussy and wanted her father to carry her. I bounced my daughter on my hip, and she blurbled, "Unci Tommy...Stay!"

Tom kissed my daughter's cheek, "I wish I could, my lady. But I have a whole other life to live, and so do you. You'll always be my best girl though."

"You promise?"  
"Definitely."

Sander was brought to Tom then, and Sander literally leaped into Tom's arms fearlessly. "Nuh uh! Unci Tom Tom stay!" He cried.

Tom bounced him on his hip, and said, "I wish I could little man. But you watch over your sis and mum, alright when your dad can't?"

Sander nodded, understanding, "Okay. Love you, Unci Tom."

Tom hugged my son, and handed him back to Severus. Draco stepped forward, and without a word, pulled his twin brother close, and embraced him, sobbing.

"Please, brother," Draco pleaded, " Please stay here. I only just got to meet you, and do things as brothers should."

Tom hugged Draco back. "I know, man. I love you too. But I just...I just can't. Losing Daniel really tore at my heart, and I can't live around all of the reminders of his life."

Draco stepped back, and Lucius looked just as sad to be losing him, "No matter what anyone says, I love you, son. Your mother did too, for the brief time you were with us. If you can visit us all, please do so. Home will always be there for you, I swear it."

"T-Thanks, dad."

Lucius nodded, and stepped back. Hermione, Luna, and Scabior talked with him next, and tried to get him to stay. But he would not budge, and I knew he wouldn't, once Tom made up his mind to do something, he was going to do it, come hell or high water.

The Hogwarts Express drew up, and Tom went to me last. "Emma. Even if I'm able to return somehow, please know that I love you, and I always will."

I moved to hug him one last time, but he kissed me instead. I wrenched out of his arms, and slapped him across the face, hard.

Tom sighed, cradling his cheek, " And that's why I can't stay, Emma, because I will always be in love with you. I refuse to share you with anyone else. But you made your choice, and I have made mine. Goodbye, Emma."

He stepped on to the train, and as the doors shut, I knew that Tom was absolutely right: he had chosen his path, and I had chosen mine. He would always try to pursue me, and I would always have to keep rejecting him. He was right: it was better this way in the long run.

All of us waved goodbye to the Hogwarts Express, and it was a very solemn journey as we traveled back to the castle via the thestral drawn carriages. Dan was gone, and now, Tom was gone as well, it felt like a crushing blow to my chest.

Severus took my hand in his and kissed it. "Are you alright, my angel?"

I shook my head no, "I just...I hoped that he would stay. But I suppose it's better this way, due to his feelings for me."

Severus nodded, "I understand. But we have each other, and that is all that matters, does it not?"

I looked up at him, and kissed him lightly. "Yes, yes, it does. Thank you, for reminding me..."

💚🐍💚

He gathered me in his arms, and we cuddled on the rest of the journey back to Hogwarts. I grieved for the losses of my best friends, and over time, the pain of losing my surrogate brothers lessened over time.

Draco married Luna Lovegood a year after graduating Hogwarts. They would go on to have three other children besides their eldest, which was a boy she named Zachary. Two girls, one other boy. Ginny Weasely never married, and grieved over losing Daniel so tragically in the war.

Severus and I went on to have four more children after Amirah and Sander. Gaius, Violet, Eileen, and Marcus. Amirah was sorted as a Ravenclaw, Sander a Gryffindor, Gaius a Slytherin, Violet a Hufflepuff, and Marcus as a Slytherin. In total, my children produced twenty grandchildren, and the Prince family was revived once more in the wizarding world with our own elaborate family tree in our own tapestry room in Prince family...

💚🐍💚

But I must stop now, my hands not being as they was once upon a time. I just wanted to tell.....

💚🐍💚

The journal tumbled out of Emma's hands as she drew her final breath. Severus Snape set her memoir on the nightstand, and checked his wife's pulse.

She was gone. He drew in a shaky breath, and let it out. He was old now, and appeared frail, but no less spry in the potions lab, he could still stir a cauldron, damn it! His right hand shook as he took out the deadly nightshade he had brewed just this morning. No, he would die as a true Potions Master, fuck what the healers and muggle doctors said about his stomach cancer.

He laid on the bed next to his wife, and gathered her in his arms. He kissed her lips one last time, and unstoppered the lid. He lifted the vial to his lips, and drank. He felt no pain, only a powerful urge to sleep, and sleep he did; he never opened his eyes again...

💚🐍💚

So ended the life of Severus Snape, and his true love and angel of mercy, Emma Watson. They died in each other's arms, and so they lived eternally together in the afterlife of whatever lies beyond the realm that is life as we knows it....

The End


End file.
